


What If Things Were Different?

by Kai_Smol_Trashlord



Series: Switched and Survival [1]
Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, But the others are all switched, Climbing Class, Climbing Class is bae, F/F, F/M, I'm so confused by myself, M/M, Sam and Chris stay pretty much the same tbh, Still follows the plot of the game, Switched Roles AU, There's no frick frack here, Wendigo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-02 16:37:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 63,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5255573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kai_Smol_Trashlord/pseuds/Kai_Smol_Trashlord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if they played different parts? What if it was Beth and not Hannah who got pranked? What if Josh wasn't the 'psycho'? What if Chris didn't choose who he wanted to live or die? What if Matt and Emily went up to the cabin? What if Sam had a connection with Ashley and not Josh? </p><p>What if things were different? </p><p>My switched roles AU for Until Dawn</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so this is my first multi-chapter Until Dawn fic on AO3. I wanted to explore the characters and develop them as if they played different roles in the game soooo here we are! Hope y'all enjoy!

The furious blizzard came down heavily upon the woodlands. February was always cold in Canada and this was one of the coldest nights of the year so far. In a break through the trees was the immense cabin that the ten teens had decided to stay in for the weekend. The annual winter getaway was always held at the Washington ski lodge and this year was going to be the best yet. The siblings were going to make sure of that.

As Ashley and Sam slept against the counters, passed out drunk on their bar stools and slumped over, a small group of four were giggling whilst a fifth stood against them in protest.

"Man, I can't believe you actually did it!" Mike whisper-yelled as he struggled to contain his laughter. A broad grin adorned his face as Matt smirked at him, placing a note on the counter where it would easily be seen.

"Dude, c'mon! This is totally uncool and you know it," Chris protested. His arms were folded over his chest and he was clearly unimpressed by what was going on here. What the others were planning was cruel and unfair and he had a gut feeling that this was all going to backfire terribly.

"Hey, she deserves it," Matt protested. The linebacker showed no remorse or regret for what he was doing and neither did anyone else which was what wound him up so much. They all knew that this was wrong but they were going ahead with it anyway.

"It's not her fault that she has a crush on Emily. It's not too late to call off the whole thing off and carry on as if nothing happened," Chris tried but Matt wasn't having it.

"She's been making moves on Em all night, regardless of how many times she's been told that Mike's with her now. I'm just looking out for my boy, you know?" was all the linebacker had to say. He, Mike, Jess and Emily all left the kitchen and headed towards the stairs so that they could get into place for the plan.

"I agree with Matt," Mike spoke up. "Emily's my girl so Beth needs to keep her hands off."

"Uh, I'm nobodys girl, Michael. I'm not some trophy," the girl in question retorted with obvious disdain.

"Yeah, whatever you say, babe," Mike scoffed with a roll of the eyes.

Chris couldn't believe that Emily was even going through with this. Well, that was a lie. He could believe that she was going through with this considering how vengeful and harsh she could be. This stupid prank was probably all her idea in the first place and Chris wanted no part in it. It was bad enough that Josh, Beth's older brother, was playing a part in it. He'd tried as hard as he could to persuade him not to but the older boy wouldn't listen. So, the blond took it upon himself to find Beth before she could even discover the note and warn her not to go to the guest room under any circumstances. He didn't want to see her hurt, nor did he want her to have a big argument with Josh over this. The only reason he was even doing this was because he was mad at Beth after a fight they both had earlier. Chris didn't know what it was about but he could tell that it was something important if it had resulted in Josh doing this.

"Beth!" he called out, hoping she'd hear him and come looking for him. He prayed that she actually did hear him and didn't become the humiliated victim that Mike, Jess, Emily and Matt wanted her to be.

***

Emily stood in the centre of the room, smirk adorning her features. The excitement and thrill she felt from knowing they were actually doing this was enough not to stop her from proceeding. She watched as everyone got into their positions; Mike and Matt under the bed together, Jess in the closet, and Josh hidden behind some sort of door. She was most surprised that Josh would willingly take part in this prank but she had heard the argument he'd had with Beth earlier. That bitch had no right telling Josh what to do about his feelings for Chris and she certainly had no business chasing after a girl she couldn't have. She'd said some pretty shitty things about Mike which was what had spurred her not to back out like a chicken. Emily heard Matt and Mike whispering under the bed and the telltale footsteps that signalled Beth's arrival. 

"Em? It's me," the older of the Washington twin girls whispered loudly. Beth entered the guest room with a candle lit in her hand. She closed the door behind her with a genuine, unknowing smile. Emily forced herself to play along so that she wouldn't give the game away. 

"Hey, Beth," she greeted warmly. There was no chickening out now. She had to keep up the act and carry this out until the end.

***

Hannah watched out of the window with furrowed brows, confused. She saw what looked like a person through the flurry of the white blizzard and stared at them as they moved away from the lodge. A shiver ran down her spine and uneasiness settled in the pit of her stomach.

"Hey… Sam? Ash? Did you guys see that? Dad said it'd just be use this weekend," she called out to her drunken best friend and girlfriend. They never gave an answer, of course. They were passed out from the excessive alcohol they'd both consumed but Hannah was ok with that. She'd just have to nurse Sam back to health in the morning and she could definitely think of a few ways to do that.

Hannah moved away from the window and strutted towards the counter that Sam was passed out against. The bottle of empty beer sat next to Hannah's sleeping girlfriend and she chuckled as she picked it up and read the label. Once again, you've outdone us all, Sammy, she thought to herself fondly. She replaced the bottle on the counter and the stark white of notepad paper caught her eye. She moved towards it and picked up the note before reading it.

Beth

You look so damn hot in that shirt… but I bet you look even hotter out of it. Come to the guest room at 2am ;-)

Emily xxx

"Oh god, what has Beth gotten into now?" she asked herself as she turned to look at the two unconscious girls. She knew of Beth's long term crush on Emily and dread flowed through her.

***

"I got your note," Beth said a little shyly. She couldn't believe that Emily had invited her up to the guest room. She felt so lucky and her heart soared at the thought that she could be getting a chance with the girl of her dreams. Cheating was wrong but Mike was a dick and Emily could do somuch better than that jerk.

"I'm glad you could make it, hun," Emily replied. Charisma seeped from her and Beth found herself enraptured by her. She was so excited that her heart was beating faster and the urge to reach out was growing.

"So…" she started but trailed off when she couldn't think of anything, blushing.

"Maybe we should start with a little… you know, making out, and see where it goes from there," the Asian beauty suggested. Beth's heart skipped a beat and she bit her lip. This was really, really happening! She placed the candle down on one of the drawers so that her hands were free and tried to think of what Em would want her to do. She'd want to see the goods, so to speak, right? Well… here goes…

"Mm, yeah," the other girl whispered as Beth started to unbutton her shirt. She got to the fifth button down when she heard what she never expected to hear.

"She's taking her fucking shirt off, man!" Mike muttered in shock. Beth wrapped her shirt around herself and her heart broke as realisation suddenly hit her.

"O-oh my god!" she gasped. She backed away as everyone came out from their hiding places and she felt hot tears drip down her face at the sight of Jess filming her. What really broke her, though, was seeing Josh among them. He'd been in on it the whole time!

Chris barged into the room and Beth saw the panic on his face. He placed a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off.

"This all, um, got out of hand…" Emily spoke in what sounded like a pathetic attempt at regret.

"Beth, I'm so sorry. It's just a-" Chris began but Beth didn't stay to hear the rest. She fled from the room, distraught, and ran out of the lodge into the woods.

"I…" Emily murmured and Chris shook his head in disgust. He glared at everyone and felt nothing but disappointment when he saw Josh and the guilt written all over his face.

"You're all a bunch of idiots, you know that?" he huffed before leaving to try and catch up with Beth before she did anything stupid.

***

Hannah put down the note and glanced up at the exact moment that Beth ran past the window. Alarm bells rang out in her head and she grabbed Beth's pink parka before slipping it on and heading out. She found everyone else near the doorway outdoors and glanced at everyone in confusion.

"Beth! Come back!" Chris yelled as he cupped his hands around his mouth. Hannah bumped into him as she tried to look around for any signs of her older twin. Nothing.

"Where's my sister going?" she questioned, weary.

"She can't take a joke. She needs to lighten up a little," Matt tutted dismissively. Anger flared inside Hannah and it increased when she heard Mike yelling that it was just a prank. She should have known that asshole would have something to do with all of this.

"What the hell did you do to her?!" she shouted in fury. Mike shrank back and Emily shifted awkwardly on her feet.

"We were just messing around, Han. It wasn't serious-"

"You jerks!" Hannah interrupted her before taking off into the woods to look for Beth. She was terrified that she'd lose her in all of these trees and the thicket of snow. She hadn't noticed that Josh was amongst the others with a pained expression on his face.

Hannah ran through the vast expanse of trees and jumped over tree roots. She called out for Beth and, when she heard nothing, jumped off a small ledge. She bent her knees as she landed and continued running in search of her older twin. It was when she came to a fork in the path that she hesitated. In one direction, a set of footprints too big to be Beth's. In the other direction, the sound of a twig snapping. It was probably a deer but she was willing to risk the noise rather than the footsteps in case it was some nutjob that lived on the mountain. She couldn't afford to be kidnapped or attacked right now when her sister was in danger.

Still she ran; jumping off low ledges and grunting from the effort. She was beginning to get exhausted out here and the tips of her fingers were becoming numb from the sheer cold. She kept running, regardless of the incessant burning in her lungs and the painful ache in her legs. She had to keep going. For the sake of her sister. It was becoming too dark to see which meant that she had to use the flashlight on her phone to light up the way so that she wouldn't fall off any cliffs or trip over anything. The more time she wasted the greater the chance that she wouldn't find Beth. A sudden burst of flame from higher up the mountain caught her off guard and her heart beat irregularly.

"Beth!" she shouted as loudly as she could. She needed her sister to hear her and make her way back to her or at least call back so that Hannah knew whereabouts she was.

Relief flooded through Hannah when she finally found Beth crouched on the forest floor and hugging herself. She jogged over and pulled off the parka automatically.

"Hello?" Beth enquired with a shaky voice. The youngest twin pulled her close and jumped at the ice cold temperature of her skin.

"Here, take this. You must be freezing," she whispered. Beth shrugged into it and sniffled miserably. Hannah felt completely sorry for her. It must have hurt incredibly to be humiliated in the way that she was.

"I'm so fucking dumb…" Beth whimpered and Hannah shook her head. She helped her up and went to hug her again when a twig snapped.

Both girls turned in the direction the noise had come from and saw the branches moving. Fear gripped them in a vicelike hold and they sprinted away from the moving branches together. Hannah couldn't let Beth die and she didn't want to die either. She was so terrified and running for her life. On and on they ran and ran. Hannah almost had a heart attack when Beth tripped and she yanked her up before continuing to run away from the thing that was chasing them.

The sisters found themselves at the edge of the cliff and Beth gulped. She held her sister's hand as they backed away from the converging monster. Closer and closer to the edge until they both fell. Luckily, Hannah gripped onto the branch that stuck out from the cliff face and they stopped falling. Beth tightened her hold on Hannah's wrist. She knew that she was going to die. There was no way out of this. She regretted not apologising to Josh for the silly argument they'd had. If she died now, he'd keep living whilst thinking she hated him. He'd blame himself and she didn't want him to live that sort of life.

"H-hold on!" Hannah exclaimed. Beth didn't dare loosen her grip or let go. She kept a tight hold and closed her eyes. She was slipping slowly. This was the end and she knew it. She couldn't go out like this but there was no other way. Beth watched as Hannah loosened her grip on the tree branch and finally noticed someone holding their hand out for her. There was a little glimmer of hope after all. Maybe… maybe they'd live. Maybe whoever this was would pull them up and-


	2. 1. Momento Mori - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok before anyone gets confused about the two spellings of blonde, allow me to explain briefly. The two spellings used are the masculine and feminine ones. Blonde is typically used to describe the hair colour of the female and blond is used for the male hair colour. So, blonde is used for Sam and blond is used for Chris. Just clearing that up so you don't get confused

Sam stepped off the bus, bag on her shoulders and hat firmly on her head. It felt… weird to be back only a year after her girlfriend and her best friend had disappeared. Melancholy hung in the air like a stale stench but she needed to be here. Ashley had convinced Josh to invite everyone back up for some closure although why it had to be on the one year anniversary was a mystery. She'd never pried, though. Everyone had their reasons for coming back up here and Sam wanted to make sure Josh was ok after what he'd been through. However, she also wanted to make sure that Ashley was holding up too. Out of everyone in the group, Ash and Josh had been the ones that had grieved the most. Josh seemed to be getting better, especially with Chris, Bob and Melinda supporting him to the best of his ability, but Ashley hadn't really improved as much. She was still stuck on what had happened and wasn't handling her grief the way Dr Hill, her counsellor, had instructed her to.

The blonde looked around wearily as the feeling of being watched crept up on her. It was a sensation that stayed with her as she stepped through the gate. The snapping sound behind her made her stop in her tracks.

"Hello?" Sam called out. Maybe one of the others was creeping up on her. Probably Chris, the jerk. He and Josh loved playing pranks on people like that. They had the perfect environment to do it in too; dark, creepy, and eerily silent. It was the ideal place to jump out at somebody and scare the shit out of them. Nobody jumped out at her, though, so she continued onward. The crunching of the pearly white snow beneath her boots was somewhat satisfying as she moved and it comforted her a little. The sounds of nature were some of her favourite sounds as they reminded her of the beauty of the world around her and how important it was to enjoy it whilst she was still alive and kicking.

It was when Sam reached the massive, cast iron gates that she saw the note. She pulled it off the ice cold metal and sighed when she read it.

The gates busted, climb over!

Chris

"What? Dammit," she cursed to herself and pocketed the piece of paper. She glanced around and tried to find somewhere to climb over without falling and breaking her neck. The only route she could find was the firm stone wall by the side of the gate. It was dimly lit but she could just about see the stones that stuck out and would work as footholds. It wasn't ideal but it was the only option seeing as the gate was broken. It was considerate of Chris to leave a note for her instead of letting her find out about the gate all by herself but she was still a little annoyed that she had to climb over. Still, she was a decent climber so she'd be alright.

Sam approached the wall and rubbed her hands on her legs before beginning the ascending climb up the wall. The stone was as cold as the gate and a little slippery from the snow and ice. This could end badly for someone who never climbed before but she was ace at rock climbing. She had confidence in her abilities but not enough to become cocky and arrogant. She was prepared for the possibility of falling off and plummeting to the snow-covered woodland floor. Relief washed over her as she reached the top and she carefully got to her feet before jumping down on the other side. She bent her knees so that she wouldn't hurt herself and dusted herself down. Once again, she felt that sense of being watched. She ignored it, though, and continued on her way towards the cable car station. She met a little tiny squirrel on the way and smiled to herself. She loved animals, especially the cute little furry ones such as the ball of fluff in front of her. She knelt down gently and offered out a palm full of nuts for the squirrel whom took one and nibbled on it before scurrying away.

Hugging herself, Sam made her way to the cable car station but stopped when she found an interesting looking board. Upon it was some information about the Native American tribes and legends surrounding totems. She made a mental note of each one, fascinated by it all. The Native tribes believed in the respect and renovation of nature which was one of the things she loved about the stories surrounding them. Sam then left and arrived promptly at the station. There was no sign of Chris but his bag was sat on the bench. One of the compartments was open and the top of his phone was poking out, buzzing as it vibrated.

"Hello, what do we have here?" she asked herself in a murmur before taking his phone. She checked it and smirked when she saw that the notification was a text message from Josh. She'd seen the way that Chris and Josh looked and acted around each other and she hoped that they confessed their feelings soon. They both supported each other so much over the past year and-

"Hey nosey."

"Oh! Chris! You scared me!" Sam gasped at the sudden appearance of the aforementioned blond behind her. He quirked an eyebrow at her and she realised she'd been caught snooping.

"I'm sorry, are you my secretary?" he questioned in amusement. He pointed at the phone and Sam held it up in surrender.

"It was buzzing-" she justified but was cut off by Chris.

"Cool. Well, thanks for letting me know. I can take it from here." He took the phone off her and turned away as he checked the message. Sam placed her hands on her hips and waited as he gazed at the screen. The slight pink tinge that appeared on his cheeks only further consolidated her knowledge that the two boys still hadn't confessed to the emotions they harboured for each other. It was sweet and the perfect cliché romance but it was also frustrating that they weren't even aware of how each other felt. If they knew then maybe they would have sorted this out sooner.

Chris finally put his phone back into his pocket. He bit his lip slightly and the blush faded once more. It was just too adorable but Sam said nothing. Only smiled.

"Oh! So! I found something kinda amazing," he told her as he picked his backpack up and slung it over one shoulder.

"What?" Sam enquired with a little sarcasm. Her idea of amazing and Chris' idea of amazing were both two different things but if this passed the time before having to catch the cable car up to the lodge then she was game for it.

"I'm not gonna tell you, you gotta see for yourself," he responded teasingly. "Come on, it's this way."

"Where?" Sam followed behind Chris, making their way behind the station.

"Right around here. Gonna blow your mind," he informed her with a hand gesture of his mind being blown out to emphasise it. He was clearly exaggerating but Sam was actually curious as to what it was Chris wanted her to see.

They finally stopped right at the back behind the cable car station and Sam rolled her eyes when she saw what it was that Chris was so excited about. As much of a tech nerd as he was, guns still had the same effect on Chris that they did on a lot of men. Sometimes, Sam despaired of him. She really did. She didn't get what the big deal was although it was kind of weird that there'd be a shooting range at the base of a mountain. The blonde had never been fond of guns and violence - as a pacifist, she was quite against it - so she felt she couldn't appreciate it the way that Chris did.

"Ta Dah. Pretty rad, right?" he grinned. Sam plastered a fake grin onto her face and nodded.

"Yeaaaaaah…" she agreed but her false enthusiasm obviously caught Chris' attention.

"Come on! Look at these beauties!" he tried as he flourished his arm to show off the guns. Sam wasn't very happy about this and she could see where this was going.

"Beauties is not the word that comes to mind. Why is this even here?"

"What do you mean?"

"What the hell is a shooting range doing at the base of a ski lodge?" 

Chris picked up a gun without a care in the world. "Uhh, dude. Have you met Josh's dad?"  
"Yeah..?" Sam spoke with confusion. She didn't see where the blond was going with this. 

"He thinks he's like, Grizzly Adams or something. Wanna try?" he offered. Sam politely declined his offer and told him he should go ahead and try it out instead. Chris nodded and turned so that he was facing all the bottles and sacks that were already laid out to be shot at. He put the gun into position with the handle end against his shoulder.

*** 

"Alright, here goes," he murmured in preparation.

Chris took in the positions of each target and licked his lips, remaining silent. He shot one of the sacks that were hanging further away first and the gunshot echoed through the air. He went for an empty can on top of an empty oil barrel next and shot again. The bullet knocked it off the barrel and he felt a sense of achievement and satisfaction. He shot another can and aimed once again at another sack before stopping momentarily.

"Wow. Nice shootin', Tex," Sam teased, pretending to be impressed. A smirk graced Chris features.

"Alright. I'm bad. I'm a badass!" he responded and started to dance, badly. He kept the gun in his hands and watched Sam shake her head in embarrassment. She was so much like a sister to him and he loved that about the friendship they both had. They'd grown a little closer since the disappearance of Josh's sisters but not as close as he'd become with Josh himself. Josh…

"I'm gonna go ahead and guess it was a wild case of beginners luck," Sam continued to tease. He waved his finger in the air, protesting.

"Nah, I don't think so girl." He shot a bottle on one of the barrels that were further away and grinned.

"Well, anybody and their brother could shoot a bottle that big, that close," Sam pointed out. A squirrel jumped onto the barrel that the can from before had been on and he made a mental note not to shoot it. He didn't kill animals and he wouldn't do that in front of Sam seeing as she loved nature and was a vegetarian.

Keeping this in mind, Chris shot one of the sacks instead. The squirrel fed on a few nuts before jumping off and running up the tree.

"Nice shot," Sam commented.

"You're ass just got saaaaaaaaacked!" Chris joked. The sound of the approaching cable car reached their ears.

"Hey, sharp-shooter, our ride is coming," Sam informed him and started to make her way back round to the front of the station. Chris didn't want to go but he knew they needed to leave now if they wanted the cable car to get up to the top on time. He put down the gun and walked with her.

As they made their way to the cable car, Chris stopped to read a wanted sign that the picture had been torn from. He commented to Sam about how they might get a visit from America's most wanted but, whilst he'd only meant it as a joke, he could tell that it had made her uneasy. He didn't pry though. She was probably feeling a little nervous now that it was time to go back up to the lodge. He felt weird coming back up here too and part of him wanted to just go back the other way and leave. It was the same feeling he'd had last year before Hannah and Beth had disappeared. He feared that something could happen to one of his friends or, god forbid, Josh. After everything the oldest Washington had been through, it was a surprise that he'd agreed to come back up here. But Ashley had somehow convinced him and Josh had actually seemed excited to be back up here again. Maybe this was just his way of trying to cope with not having his sisters around him anymore.

"Man, it is… definitely weird coming back up here after a whole year," he murmured, more to himself than anything. Sam approached the door and placed her hand on the handle.

"Yeah, I swear, the moment I got here it all came… hey that's weird. Door's locked," she frowned as she cut herself off mid-sentence. Chris pulled a set of keys out of his pocket.

"Yeaaah… Josh wanted us to keep it locked, keep people out," he shrugged. Sam turned to him with blatant surprise illustrated by her expression. She was confused too, which was understandable.

"He said that? What people?" she quizzed. Chris shrugged again.

"I don't know. He said Ashley told him she'd found people sleeping in the station before Hannah and Beth… you know… so, he wanted it to be kept locked," he explained. Sam visibly shuddered and Chris didn't blame her. He felt it was a bit creepy too.

The blond unlocked the door and the two teens stepped inside the cable car station. Sam stepped towards the barrier whereas Chris explored a little. He entered the control room and the poster in there peaked his interest.

"Ugh, I thought the car was closer," Sam complained. Chris knew that feeling. He wasn't thrilled about waiting any longer either but he was willing to do so if that meant he'd eventually get up to the lodge where it was nice and warm. He read the poster and hummed to himself thoughtfully.

"What a crazy place to set up house. No matter how rich you are," he snorted. The poster advertised Blackwood Pines Hotel and Sanatorium but Chris knew it wasn't a hotel. It was just an abandoned sanatorium that nobody was kept at anymore and nobody was allowed entry to it due to how unstable it was.

"They're not so rich," the blonde joked with a chuckle, "they only bought a mountain!"

Chris ventured around the control room and found a small TV. He recognised that the image on the screen was the outside of the cable car station. Why was a security camera installed up here? Then again, Josh had told him about people constantly sleeping up here so maybe it was so that the Washingtons could check to make sure nobody was trespassing on their property. That made a lot of sense.

The rickety rattling of the cable car stopping at the station grabbed Chris' attention and he made his way back to Sam. The door to the cable car was already open and she was getting ready to get in.

"Finally. You coming?" she enquired.

"Ah well I was just gonna stay here and catch some Zzzzz's buuuut… ok," he shrugged jokingly. Sam got into the cable car and sat down just as Chris got in. He closed the door and sat down beside her, comparing this experience to the prom. He'd been nervous back then, too, but the circumstances were nowhere near the same.

The cable car jerked as it started to make its ascent up the mountain and the two grinned at each other.

"I hope this was the right thing to do. You know, getting everyone together on the anniversary. I mean, Josh seemed really pumped about us all doing something didn't he?" Sam spoke after a moment.

"Yeah, no, he definitely did. I haven't seen him so excited about anything in… forever. And Ash was pretty eager to get us all back up here too, you know? This'll help them both move on, hopefully," he answered reassuringly. He truly did think that this could help to bring closure for everybody after the tragedy that struck last year.

"It's kinda hard to tell and… I've been kinda worried. Especially about Ash…" Sam continued. Chris knew how she felt. Josh hadn't opened up to Chris for a couple of months after the incident and he had struggled to show his emotions for a while but he was becoming more like his old self again the more time went on.

"No no, it was… it was a good idea," he insisted. A strained smile made its way onto Sam's face as her eyes surveyed the interior of the cable car.

"I just hope everybody feels the same way," she stated.

"We're all here, aren't we?" he responded nostalgically. He didn't expect anyone else to come back up here but Josh had said that everyone agreed to come up to the lodge once again this year.

"Thanks bro. Good talk," Sam said with a more genuine smile and punched his arm lightly. They both chuckled and silence settled over them both for a few minutes. The only sound was the whirring and creaking of the cable car as it rose to the top of the mountain where the lodge was. Feeling like he needed to change the subject, Chris started talking again.

"You know how Josh and I met?" he asked.

"No..?" Sam replied, confused.

"Ok. Third Grade. Josh sat in the back of the room, I sat in the front. We didn't even know each other existed. But the kid sitting next to Josh started strap snapping the training bra on the girl in front of him so the teacher made him move to the front - where I was sitting!" he explained with great fondness. He hadn't known back then that their meeting that day would lead to them being as close as they were today.

"Okay, so?" Sam encouraged. It was obvious that she wasn't getting it.

"So, I got moved to the back and next to Josh! That's how we met! And became friends. To this day," he elaborated.

"Match made in heaven," Sam commented and Chris had to fight back a blush at her words.

"If it weren't for the fact that Jeanie Simmonds hit puberty like three years early and on that day decided to wear a low cut shirt that showed off her training bra, I mean who knows? You could be sitting in this cable car alone. Right now. Or-or talking to some other person entirely. Boom. Butterfly effect," he finished. 

The conversation dwindled somewhat after that but the silence was comfortable. Chris liked the peace and quiet.


	3. 2. Momento Mori - Part 2

Matt hugged his letter jacket around himself as he sat on the bench in the freezing cold Canada air. In his hands was the note he'd written just for Emily and he found himself bouncing his leg anxiously. He was excited and nervous to be spending time with Emily as a couple around the others. Emily and Mike's break-up hadn't exactly been very clean and he didn't want there to be any awkwardness. He just wanted this trip to go smoothly, especially as this trip was mostly to support Josh through his grief. Whilst Matt wasn't sure how it felt to lose a family member, let alone two, he knew that Josh probably wasn't coping as well as he made out to be. Hell, his sisters, the most important people in his life, were missing and nobody could explain to him what had happened or whether they could still be alive or not. Matt felt immense guilt and a lot of responsibility for what had happened to Hannah and Beth that night. He was the one who'd written the note, after all. And what for? A stupid prank conducted in order to humiliate Beth and protect his so-called best friend, Mike? He and Mike weren't even on speaking terms anymore.

The sound of the cable car arriving alerted him to the arrival of more people. He got up and took a deep breath before sauntering over. Maybe Emily was here earlier than she'd said she'd be. He picked up his pace and puffed his chest out. He wanted to look more muscular than he actually was for-

"Crap!" he exclaimed as he jumped at the banging noise. He glared at Sam and Chris through the window of the cable car.

"Hey, Matt! C'mon, open up!" Sam called to him from inside. Matt sighed, rolling his eyes, and pressed the button to let the two out of there. He stepped away and watched the door open, amused.

"You guys scared the shit out of me," he chuckled. Chris rubbed the back of his neck and offered him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, man. If I'd been in there any longer, I swear I would have chewed off my own leg," the blond joked. Matt laughed whilst Sam made a noise of obvious distaste and disgust.

"That's sick, Chris!" she complained. She adjusted her hat on her head whilst Chris gestured to his thighs.

"Look, I got a lot of meat on my bones. This is all muscle down here," he stated. Sam wasn't impressed by his display and just nodded, pretending to believe him but obviously not.

"Yeah… riiiiiight. Uh-huh," she hummed. Matt smiled and fiddled subconsciously with the letter in his hand. He couldn't wait for Em to arrive so that he could give the note to her. Matt wanted her to read it and maybe live out some of the fantasies he'd written on there. He especially wanted to re-enact the one where-

"Bwip!" Chris whistled as he whipped the letter out of his hand. Matt let out a sound of protest but, unfortunately, Chris wouldn't give it back. He waved it around and held it away so that Matt wouldn't be able to reach over and get it.

"Chris!" Sam scolded but the blond shrugged at her as if he didn't care.

"I'm just doing like Sam taught me. Other people's private thoughts are my own personal playground," he teased. Matt huffed and shook his head in annoyance. He was going to die of embarrassment if Chris read what was in that envelope.

"Don't be a jerk," Sam demanded but the blond just ignored her, reading what was on the envelope instead. His expression turned playful and the linebacker cursed mentally as he prepared himself for what was coming.

"My goodness!" Chris exclaimed. "Seems that a certain football player has a lil crush on our good friend and dear ice queen Emily."

"Chris-" Sam warned but he carried on regardless.

"Aaand… what kind of sizzling erotica might Matty boy be capable of imagining," I wonder…?

Matt shifted awkwardly on his feet. He didn't want to announce his relationship with Emily just to get Chris to lay off but, at the same time, everyone was going to find out they were together anyway. Would it really be worth keeping it a secret if it was soon to be common knowledge? He was sure that, in his situation, Emily would tell Chris to back off and mind his own business. Then again, Matt wasn't Emily and he didn't like the idea of being dishonest about this.

"Mike and Em split. We're together now," he explained briefly. Chris seemingly backed off a little but didn't drop the subject, unfortunately.

"Whoa. Drama."

"Nah, not really. Mike's out, I'm in. Nothing else to it really," Matt shrugged. Sam nodded smugly, as if she already had a hunch. She'd always had a sixth sense when it came to that sort of thing which was useful when someone needed advice. Matt had found himself asking her for help many a time and it had come in handy a lot.

Chris waved the envelope around in the air, teasing. Matt snatched it out of his hand in frustration and started to walk slowly away from him. There was no chance he was letting the blond take the envelope for a second time and risking the contents being read out for all to listen to. He'd never hear the end of it from the others, especially Jess and Mike. It would probably make them both pretty smug to know that he was acting like a little lapdog for Em but a part of him didn't give a shit. The main reason he'd come up to the lodge in the first place was to bond with Em and make sure Josh was holding up after everything he'd been through. They hadn't spoken much over the past year and he felt nothing but endless guilt over the fact that it was partially his fault that Hannah and Beth were no longer here.

"Alright, alright, let's just get up to the lodge already. Getting tired of all this nature and junk," Chris muttered. He began heading in the direction of the trail that led up to the lodge and Matt would have been lying if he said he wasn't glad to see the back of him.

"You guys go on up. I'm gonna wait here at the cable car station in case anyone else is coming up," the linebacker suggested. He seated himself back down on the bench and leaned back against the cool wood.

"You mean Em?" the blond smirked. Matt felt his cheeks heat up and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Uh, well, whoever really," he stammered. Well done, Matt thought to himself afterwards. He'd sounded anything but confident. Great.

"Sam?" Chris enquired. At this point, Sam had ventured over to near the edge and was admiring the view. Matt thought it was creepy but he figured that everyone was entitled to their opinions so who was he to judge Sam's taste?

"Did you see this view? I mean, holy cow. Sometimes I forget to just stop and take it all in," she sighed happily. Her love of nature was something Matt thought was cute.

Maybe one day he'd learn to appreciate nature that much too.

***

"Oh my god, couldn't they have built the lodge closer to the cable car station?" Mike complained as he followed Jess through the gate. He hadn't even gotten to the lodge yet and he was already excited. He'd been slacking off exercising recently but he was more focussed on trying to improve his grades before going college.

"It wouldn't have been as pretty that way, Michael," Jess countered as she picked up the bags. The two had a bet before they got there that whoever lost had to carry the bags up to the lodge and Mike had won by a long shot. He would have felt guilty if he wasn't so smug and cocky about it.

"And where's the bellboy when you need one? You'd think the Washingtons would have a butler or something, right?" he carried on as if his girlfriend hadn't even said anything. He walked onwards and Jess sighed as she followed after him. She would have appreciated at least a little help from him but a bet was a bet so she just had to suck it up for now. She didn't want to be back up here after what had happened last year but she'd promised to be here to show Josh that she was truly sorry for everything that had happened. They'd never meant for the prank to get so out of hand and there wasn't a day that went by where Jess didn't feel horrible for being involved in what had snatched Joshs sisters away.

"Gonna be weird seeing everyone up here again," Mike called back to her. She sped up a little to catch up and already started losing her breath. Jeez, she was out of shape. Maybe she should start going to the gym again.

"I mean, what do you think-" she started before she and Mike let out yells of shock as Emily jumped out of nowhere to scare them. Jess dropped all the bags and almost fell backwards. Emily laughed hard, bending over slightly, as the other two tried to regain their composure.

"Jesus Christ, Em! You scared the blue outta my jeans!" Mike chastised her. Jess huffed at the fact that the other girl was laughing at their expense but she wasn't too miffed.

"Your faces were just priceless there, guys," Emily giggled.

"Em, you nearly gave me a heart attack," Jess tutted but the brunette just seemed to find this even funnier. She crossed her arms, sulking, and glared at her best friend. Whilst things were tense between Matt and Mike, she and Emily had remained good friends. They hung out a lot and even went shopping together sometimes. Jess was glad that she was able to keep their friendship.

"You're such a bitch, Em," Mike mumbled with arms folded over his chest. The brunette rolled her eyes and held her arms wide open.

"Come on, you guys! We're all friends here, it was just a little fun. It's the woods and it's dark; why would I not take that opportunity?" She questioned.

"Ugh, what is wrong with you?" Mike tutted. Emily's playful expression faded and Jess braced herself. Ooh boy, this would be fun. Emily and Mike hadn't really spoken all that much since their break up a few weeks ago and it looked like this trip could be rife with arguments between the pair of them at this rate.

"Sheesh, lighten up, Michael. You're always like this when you don't get your own way," Emily complained. Jess knew that she needed to step in now before things got out of hand.

"Listen, Em… we both know that this could get awkward so I'm just going to lay all my cards out on the table. Let's just learn to move on from the past and have a good time, yeah? For Josh?" she spoke. Emily's face softened, as did Mike's, and the pair both nodded. Jess could see that the other girl felt guilty for what she'd done despite how much she hid it behind her tough persona.Em announced that she was going to head back down the trail and Jess gave her a brief hug good bye to show that there were no hard feelings between them. She just wanted to relax on this trip which meant everyone needed to get along and be civil towards each other. God knows Josh needed that more than anything. It would upset him if he saw everyone fighting like cat and dog.

"Hey, babe?" Mike asked. "Is it alright if you take the bags the rest of the way up? I need to go talk to Chris about something." Jess turned to gape at him. Was he actually being serious right now? Surely he didn't expect her to go all the way up to the lodge on her own with the bags in the dark. The look on his face made it evident that he was being serious but she didn't show her anger.

"Do you have to?" she sighed. He quirked an eyebrow at her and that was all she needed to know that he wanted her to keep out of it. Fine. He wanted to go back down the mountain then he could. That just meant she'd get to the warmth of the lodge sooner and get to sit next to the fire for longer. It also meant that she'd get to catch up with Josh too which was a bonus. She really felt that she needed to try and make it up to him for being such a bitch towards his sisters.

Jess bid Mike farewell and Mike placed a chaste kiss on her lips before heading back down the mountain. She watched him go before picking up all the bags and making the trek up the rest of the mountain to the lodge.

***

Adjusting the telescope, Josh looked around at the scenery. When the sight of two people embracing caught his eye he immediately zoomed in on it and tutted.

"Well, looky here. Seems like someone needs a reality check. You'd think Mike would have moved on already," he chuckled to himself as he watched Mike and Emily embrace and converse with each other. They definitely looked too cosy to be just friends but it wasn't his place to intervene with other's relationships. If Mike was actually cheating on Jess then he'd definitely say something but just hugging wasn't really enough proof. Besides, Emily knew better than to do that to Jess and Matt. It was probably just his imagination running away with him. He'd had enough drama to last him a lifetime and he didn't want any shit to go down whilst they were here.

Josh zoomed out with the telescope. He'd had enough of watching Mike and Emily talking to each other. They were probably having a private conversation and him watching was intruding on their privacy. He knew he hated it when Han… his sisters pried into his personal affairs.

"Boo!"

Josh released a manly scream as another set of eyes suddenly appeared on the other end of the telescope. He jumped back and blushed beetroot red as Jess giggled and jogged up the steps to join him.

"Aw, I'm sorry Josh. Didn't mean to scare you like that," the blonde apologised, still laughing a little. He crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Jesus, Jess," he said, annoyed. Jess put a hand on his shoulder and he couldn't help but smile slightly. He had to admit that she got him good with that little jumpscare.

"I really am sorry though, Josh. You have an interesting scream," she teased. He pushed her lightly and they both laughed briefly before Jess asked what Josh was looking at through the telescope. He found himself faced with a dilemma. Let Jess see and risk her getting upset or convince her not to look through it. If Mike was cheating then she had the right to know and the other two had probably parted ways by now anyway. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to let her look.

"Uh… sure. Take a look. Maybe you'll see a bear chowing down on a nice juicy elk or something," he caved, stepping aside.

Josh watched as Jess excitedly stepped up to the telescope and looked through it. She turned it slightly and the way she froze up told the dark haired boy that she'd seen Mike and Emily. It was better that she knew the truth rather than live in a lie, though. Mike probably had an explanation anyways.

"What the hell?! Mike, you asshole! You said it was over!" she shouted in outrage. She spun away from the telescope in a huff.

"Hey, c'mon, Jess. It's probably nothing," he tried to reason and she narrowed her eyes in a glare that could easily rival Emily's.

"Nothing? Is it ever nothing with those two?" she questioned sceptically. Before Josh could answer, Jess flounced off with the bags. He followed her and took a couple of the bags off her to help her in the hopes that she'd be in a better mood afterwards.

***

"Oh, you did not just do that!" Matt laughed as he stood up from the bench. Emily stood with her arms folded a few metres away, a smirk gracing her features. She bent down to pick up another snowball and held it up.

"Hands in the air, perp! We have you surrounded!" she exclaimed in an exaggerated, stereotypical New York cop voice. Matt shook his head with a grin and picked up a snowball of his own before lobbing it at her and making a run for it to a bench further away. The couple laughed as they threw countless snowballs at each other. He loved Emily's laugh so much. It was filled with so much joy and it was one of her genuine laughs too; something that had gotten rare over the past few months.

"Hey, Em!" he called out to her as he threw another ball of snow her way. It hit her shoulder and she shrieked before hurling one at him in return. This went on for a few minutes before they both fell to the ground, Emily on top of Matt. It was times like this that the linebacker enjoyed with his girlfriend.

"Not so tough now, huh, hot stuff?" she teased. Matt chuckled and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She seemed to appreciate the gesture and smiled brightly down at him. Mike had warned him that she saw Matt as nothing but a rebound but he found that hard to believe at the moment when she seemed to be so happy with him. He was probably just being a jealous jerk.

"We calling it my favour then?" he questioned with a flirtatious wiggle of the eyebrows.

"Mhm, you better believe it. Matt: King of Snowballs. Has a nice ring to it," Emily replied. He bit his lip and suppressed another laugh.

"Well that totally didn't sound dirty," he snorted. She kissed him tenderly and he caressed her cheek before they broke apart. This moment, right here, was what Matt liked to call magical. Not that he'd ever say that out loud.

The pair finally decided to get up and brushed themselves off. Matt laced his fingers through Emily's and, together, they both made their way up the mountain together.


	4. 3. Jealousy - Part 1

"I swear, this mountain gets bigger every time we climb it," Sam joked to Ashley as they stood a little away from the lodge, Chris behind Sam. The blonde was tired and cold after the long trek but she and Chris were here now and she was glad to see that Ashley was looking better since the last time they met up.

"I can't really tell the difference, you know? I don't really come up here all that often anymore," Ashley replied dismissively.

"True. But you and Josh did grow up here," Sam pointed out.

"I guess that's true," she responded. Behind Sam, Chris kept holding his phone up and waving it around to try and get signal.

"Jeez, when are we gonna get some cell towers installed up here? I'm already getting withdrawals," he complained. Ashley laughed and shook her head, much to Sam's secret approval. If anyone knew how to make Ashley smile and laugh, it was him. He was such a good friend to her and she knew that Ash was the first one he'd told about his feelings for Josh.

"I'm sure Josh will fix one up for you if you give him a spare million," she responded.

The three of them all made their way up to the steps that led up to the lodge and Sam saw the way Chris' breathing hitched when he saw Josh. How were they both so oblivious to each other's feelings? They were both so obvious that they practically had neon signs above them that read 'I'm in love with you" written in capital letters.

"Hey Josh. You get up here alright?" Ashley asked. Josh nodded from where he sat on the steps and adjusted the beanie on his head.

"Yeah. It's really good to see you guys. It's been a while," the elder Washington answered. His eyes seem to linger on Chris and Sam bit her lip. So damn obvious.

Josh got up and walked with Ashley up to the top of the steps. He got his key out ready and slipped it into the lock as he took hold of the door handle. He was eager to get inside the lodge and spend as much time with Chris as possible on this trip. Last year had taught him that he should spend as much time as possible with the ones he loved, even if he'd never get the guts to tell his best friend how he really felt.

"So, are we gonna get things going up here?" the redhead questioned as she watched him. Josh smiled and shook his head, amused.

"Hell yeah. I'm actually looking forward to this, you know?" he hummed. He wanted to get on with getting the door open but he felt that Ashley still had something to say.

"So… are you alright? It must be hard without-" she began but Josh immediately cut her off. He didn't want to talk about his sisters with Ash. He'd end up breaking down and he'd done that plenty with Chris over the past year. He didn't want to push all of his problems onto her too.

"Stop. This isn't the time to talk about that, ok? Besides, I'm fine. Really."

"I just meant that-"

"I know what you meant. I'm honestly ok. I just want us all to have a good time up here for my sisters' sakes." Ashley seemed to buy it and she dropped the subject. Offering to unlock the door, she stepped in front of Josh and tried to open up the door. Josh watched her fail and listened to her cursing.

"Damn. The door's iced," she grumbled. The brunette frowned. He'd only been here an hour ago and the door was fine. Then again, a lot could happen in an hour on this mountain.

"There's probably a way in through one of the windows. Don't sweat it," he assured the redhead. She nodded and they both made their way down the stairs.

Josh stopped momentarily when he saw Chris talking to Sam. He watched as butterflies fluttered in his stomach. The way the corners of his mouth lifted in a smile as he spoke and the way he waved his arms as he talked were only two of the many things he admired about the blond. Chris turned to look at him and walked over.

"Hey, Cochise. How're you doin'?" Josh enquired. Chris shrugged and shoved his hands into the pockets of his parka. It was a miracle he could even move around with the amount of layers he wore.

"A little cold. I could probably use some time sat by the fire, you know?" he replied which got a laugh at of him.

"Bro, you wear so many layers already I'm surprised you haven't burst into flames!"

"I don't wear that many layers, man," Chris snorted. Josh chuckled as he shook his head and followed Ashley round to the back of the lodge where the lower windows were. The redhead came to a stop and Josh felt like he should stop too but he knew she was going to say something about Chris. However, it felt rude to ignore her so he just prepared himself and turned to glance at her.

"So," she said, "Chris is looking kinda hot tonight, right? I'd definitely do him." Josh felt an instinctive streak of possessiveness and slight jealousy and had to bite back a warning. He knew she was trying to wind him up so why not play along?

"Hell yeah. I'd make some snow angels with him," he smirked. Ashley rolled her eyes with a sigh of exasperation.

"Come on, Josh. When are you taking him to the bone zone? He won't wait forever."

"Yeah. Because a guy like Chris is gonna go for a fuck up like me. Sure."

"He spends practically all of his time with you and he always has his eye on you. If that doesn't scream I love you then I don't know what does," she tutted. It was clear she was getting frustrated now but Josh didn't see what she meant. The reason Chris always kept an eye on him was to keep him safe, right? He cared because they were best friends and had practically grown up together. They'd seen each other at their best and worst and supported each other through everything. It was just the bond they had.

"I don't know Ash…" he murmured.

"Josh, there's no parents here. You have the perfect opportunity to go in for the kill!" she encouraged but the brunet shrugged shyly. He wasn't entirely convinced and he just wanted to drop the subject now.

The duo got to the low windows and dragged one of the metal boxes under the one that was slightly open. Sam joined them and suggested that Josh go and wait with Chris whilst she and Ashley tried to get the door open. He was confused but he didn't question it. It was just Sam's way of getting rid of him so that she could talk to the redhead alone and he understood why. Ashley had grieved almost as much as he had over the past year and he could see how much it was all eating away at her. He hated that he wasn't able to console her in any way but what was he supposed to do? He had no experience with helping people deal with their grief. He'd needed Chris to explain to him that what he was going through was what grief was like and the blond had been here for him every step of the way to help him mourn. There were moments when he thought they were getting close to becoming more than just friends but he'd put it down to wishful thinking. He was just wishing for intimacy because he no longer had his sisters around and that wish was making him see what he wanted to see.

Josh arrived back at the front of the lodge and smiled at Chris. The blond returned the gesture and he felt his chest tighten. God, that smile. Chris really didn't know how amazing his smile was. He didn't know how amazing he was in general. He was the best guy the brunet knew and there was nobody he'd rather have practically living with him for the past year. Was Chris aware of how much he meant to Josh? Was he aware of how much of an important roll he played in the eldest Washington's life?

"Couldn't get enough of me, huh?" Chris joked. Josh punched his arm playfully and chuckled.

"You just have so much sex appeal, man. How could I ever get enough of that hot bod?" he retorted and sniggered at the way his face turned bright scarlet in embarrassment.

"D-don't say stuff like that!" We both know I don't have that sort of appeal," he huffed. Oh how wrong you are, Josh thought to himself. He spent many a night thinking about Chris in ways that you shouldn't think about your best friend. Every time had resulted in a cold shower. He was just so… Josh couldn't describe him. He was indescribable. He was so… Chris.

"Dude, you should have more confidence. I'm sure there's someone who finds you sexually attractive," the brunet told him, making sure not to mention anything about himself. He didn't want to give himself away and scare Chris. He knew that his best friend wouldn't hate him but he felt like it might make him feel uncomfortable.

After what felt like forever, Sam finally got the door open. Josh, Chris and Jess all climbed up the steps and were just about to enter when a baby wolverine jumped out at them. Chris shrieked and Josh couldn't help himself. He put an arm around him and made teasing kissy faces at him whilst whimpering. The blond pushed him away but they both laughed about it.

"Ugh, that thing freaked me out," Chris muttered. Josh patted his shoulder and Ashley finally joined them. She looked slightly out of breath and like she was anticipating something. Something felt wrong here but the brunet dismissed it. He was probably being paranoid after what had happened last year which was normal. Coming back to the place where his sisters had gone missing was bound to bring up some bad feelings and he'd accepted that he could end up feeling like this before he came up here. This was all Ashley's idea anyway so maybe that was what was setting him off.

The five teens made their way into the lodge and Chris closed the door behind them. It was warmer in there than outside but it was still pretty cold which confused Josh. He was sure that he'd fixed the boiler before coming up here. He'd have check it out later but, for now, he needed to make sure everyone felt welcome. This was his ski lodge after all.

"Home sweet home," he grinned as he gestured to the room they were in. The living room didn't look as warm and welcoming as it did before but he was sure it would look much better once he'd lit the fire and gotten all the electrics up and running.

"Uh, sweet is not the word I'd use, Josh," Jess commented. The brunet rolled his eyes at her words.

"Oh my god, it's so good to be inside. I was starting to worry we'd be sleeping outside tonight. Kinda chilly in here, don't you think?" Chris joked. Josh slapped his arm and shook his head.

"I'll get a fire going," Ashley announced as she approached the fireplace. Jess looked around and twisted her fingers absentmindedly.

"This place barely looks any different," she spoke. Josh shrugged nonchalantly and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Nobody's been up here. It's been untouched," he replied informatively.

"Not even with the police coming in and out?" Sam questioned. Josh saw the slight twitch of the corner of Chris' mouth and sighed.

"Not a lot of action up here lately," he smirked as he stared straight at Josh. He could have sworn he saw the blond wink at him and he cleared his throat awkwardly, looking away.

After a few minutes, everyone got into conversations with each other. Josh found himself talking to Sam and Chris whilst Jess and Ashley had their own little conversation by the fireplace. The redhead still hadn't gotten the fire going but there was no rush. There was plenty of time before anyone was planning to go to bed and they hadn't even gotten the party started yet. Josh wanted to party like a porn star tonight and get shitfaced with his best friend turned crush. And if they ended up having a drunken escapade somewhere in the lodge? He wouldn't be opposed to that. No, Josh told himself in his head, stop that. He couldn't think that and get his hopes up. Chris wasn't much of a drinker so it wasn't likely that he'd be up for getting drunk tonight.

***

"Hey everybody, your queen has arrived!" Emily exclaimed as she entered the living area with Matt not far behind her. Jess watched them enter and immediately remembered what she'd seen through the telescope. She didn't want to start an argument but she was still a little pissed about watching her and Mike together after the latter had lied and said he was going to look for Chris. She was more annoyed at him than at Emily but she still wanted to know what the brunette was playing at.

"Make yourselves at home, girl," Josh called over to Emily. She nodded and Jess got up from where she'd sat down. She tried to reign in her anger but it was becoming a little difficult.

"Yeah, make yourself at home, Em. Take whatever you want. It's what you usually do, right?"

Emily seemed taken aback but didn't back down. "Uh, excuse me?"

"What were you and Michael doing out on the trail, huh? I saw you both through that telescope, Jess asked with venom in her tone. The brunette furrowed her brows and shook her head.

"You mean earlier? We just ran into each other. Is it a crime to want to catch up with a friend after months of not seeing each other properly?" she answered. Jess felt ridiculous now that Emily had explained it to her. She wasn't one to lie about that sort of thing and she trusted her not to take her boyfriend away from her. She was just overreacting.

"Oh… sorry. It's been a long day and I just overreacted. I didnt mean to offend you or anything, she sighed. Emily gave her a small smile and rubbed her shoulder.

"It's alright. I understand. Let's just move on, yeah?" she smiled. The blonde nodded and went back to her seat. The brunette sat down beside Matt and the two kissed sweetly. Jess looked away so that she wasnt invading their privacy and watched as Mike entered. He saw what was going on and scowled in disgust.

"Wow Matt, you trying to swallow her whole? Try any harder and you'll eat her," Mike snorted. Once again, Jess got the feeling that this wasn't going to turn out well. Matt stood up from where he was seated and sized up to the other man.

"You got a problem with me, bro?" he muttered. Mike huffed and took a step back as he crossed his arms.

"What, do you need me to spell it out for you like mommy?"

"Sounds to me like you're just bitter that Emily chose me over you," Matt grinned smugly. The brunet quirked an eyebrow at him in amusement.

"Yeah, it's all a big cattle call with that dreamboat. Congrats, because you're bottom of the food chain now," Mike retorted. Matt sniggered as he looked the other man up and down with disdain.

"Rather be bottom of the food chain than bottom of the class."   
Jess jumped up and stood between them both. "Come on, Mike. You don't need to start a scene," she tried but he held his hand up.

"Shut up, Jessica. The men are talking," he said impatiently. Matt's nostrils flared.

"Don't talk to Jess like that! You'tre not in charge of her," he spat.

"At least I actually know how to take charge of something. I'm class pres in case you forgot. Maybe you should add a few brain cells to your birthday wish list," the brunet insulted him. Matt was clearly getting angrier.

"Who needs to be class pres when you're captain of the football team and have all the muscle you can handle? You couldn't lift a twig with those piles of flab that you call muscle."

"You think that's supposed to be insulting? I'd choose brain over brawns any day."

"Guys! Stop! This isn't helping anything. There's no need to fight like this," Jess intervened after hearing enough. She didn't want them to get into a massive fight on the anniversary of Hannah and Beth's disappearances.

"Yeah, Mikey. Why are you fighting over your ex-girlfriend?" Matt taunted him. Mike was about to argue back but Josh got there first.

"This isn't helping! This isn't what I wanted and it's definitely not what Ash wanted either.

"Yeah. Listen, Em, why don't you take Matt up to the cabin Josh and I told you about? Take some time out away from all of this?" Ashley suggested. Emily got up and pulled on Matt's hand before pulling him out of the room, heading for one of the many exits to the outside of the lodge.

Once Emily and Matt had left, Jess let out a sigh of relief. She went back to Ashley and sat down beside her as she offered to get a fire going. That was, until Mike complained that one of his bags hadn't been brought up. Honestly, she couldn't give a shit about the bag but she wouldnt say that out loud. She left Ashley with Mike and told everyone theyd be back soon be forever leaving to go and find the damned bag.


	5. 4. Jealousy - Part 2

"Hey! Josh! Ash! Don't you think no hot water is a bit of an oversight?" Sam called down from the bathroom. She was desperate for a nice, relaxing bath and yet there was no hot water coming from the taps. It was typical that the one time she wanted to relax she'd just get given more stress.

"If you come down to the basement, you can help me fix it," Ashley responded loud enough for the blonde to hear. Sam sighed but didn't argue as she left the bathroom and made her way down the stairs. Along the way, she came across Beth's room. The temptation to go in there was strong but she knew it would be wrong to do that. What if Josh hadn't sorted through anything in there yet? She didn't want to mess up any sort of order in there.

Sam caught sight of Josh and Chris and decided just to watch for a minute. There was a scheming expression on Ashley's face but the two boys didn't seem to notice. They were talking about finding something fun to do once they'd fired up the boiler and they kept coming up blank. Until…

"Hey, what about the old spirit board? Do you still have it, Josh?" the redhead asked him. A pained expression crossed the brunet's face but it was gone as soon as it had appeared. Surely Ashley wasn't on about the one they used to mess around with when Hannah and Beth were still here, was she? Why would she want to use the spirit board on tonight of all nights? Unless she wanted to talk to Hannah and Beth. To tell them she missed them. Sam could understand why Ashley would want to use it. She and Beth had been really close friends and it was obvious that the redhead had cared for her like a sister. They were almost as close as Hannah and Beth were themselves.

"Yeah. Yeah it's um… it should be around here somewhere," Josh spoke quietly. He clearly didn't want to use it but Sam knew he'd cave in anyway. He wanted everyone to have a good time tonight and he had Chris by his side to make sure he was ok.

"Great! Well, while you and Chris go and look for it, I'll go down to the basement with Sam," Ashley stated. Before anyone could protest, she'd already walked off in the direction of the basement with the torch. Josh and Chris went in another direction and so Sam went to catch up with Ash.

"Yo, Ash, wait up!" she called. The redhead slowed down a little and they both walked leisurely down to the basement. It got colder the further down they went but that was to be expected when the boiler wasn't even on.

"Gave Chris and Josh a mission together. Now that they're alone, maybe they'll get it together and sort out their feelings for each other," Ashley explained. Sam nodded in approval. It was nice to see that Ashley was focussing on something positive. Maybe this trip wasn't a bad idea after all. She seemed more excited and in her element than before so maybe this trip would do her some good and give her the closure that she needed.

"They're very sweet together," the blonde agreed, "I just hope they get on with it."

"They just need something to bring them together. Like a traumatic event or something situational that'll make them confront their emotions head on like in those cliché horror and romance novels," Ashley added. Sam giggled and both girls gossiped as they continued further down into the bowels of the lodge.

The corridors of the basement were freezing cold and the pipes creaked a little. Sam had never really liked the basement but she needed to come down here to help with the boiler so that she could have some hot water for her nice, relaxing bath. She needed to chill out and make sure she was nice and calm and rested before the main event tomorrow.

"Hey… Sam?" Ashley said, questioning.

"Yeah?" the blonde replied as they stopped by the boiler. The redhead rubbed the back of her neck nervously and bit her lip. Sam waited patiently. She'd learnt to be more patient with both Ash and Josh over the past year and let them come to her rather than pushing them into anything.

"I just wanted to say… it means so much to me that we're all back up here this year. Especially you. You've been there a lot for me this year and I wanted you to know that I'm really grateful for everything you've done for Josh and I," she spoke sincerely. Sam felt her heart warm and pulled Ashley into a gentle hug to which the redhead returned.

"We're all here for you. Both of you. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, we're going to get through this together. I want to be here for you however I can," she informed her, putting as much feeling into it as she could. She wanted Ashley to know that she was never going to let her down like she'd let Hannah and Beth down. She could have stopped the prank if she'd been awake. Could have stopped her girlfriend and best friend going missing and suffering like they probably were.

"I want us all to have a good time this weekend, you know?" the redhead replied and pulled out of the hug.

"Ashley opened up one of the control panels for the boiler and gripped the torch between her teeth as she checked over everything. Sam stood a little way away and watched her work. The clunking of the pipes grew loud and a little more regular but she ignored it. It would probably stop when they sorted the boiler out so why worry needlessly about it when the problem was already being solved?

"Hey," Ashley spoke up, "could you hold this torch for me? I can't see what I'm doing." Sam immediately took hold of the flashlight and aimed the beam of light on the switches on the switched and dials. The redhead fiddled around with them and tweaked them whilst seemingly listening to the pipes. The blonde couldn't help but wonder where Ashley had suddenly gotten her knowledge of plumbing from. She may have come up here a lot with the Washingtons but Sam doubted that she would have done a lot with the plumbing during her stays. Ashley had found a lot of hobbies during the past year so maybe plumbing classes had become one of those hobbies. She'd never mentioned anything about it though but she could hardly ask her anything when she was trying to concentrate.

Ash finished adjusting the controls then increased the pressure before the boiler came on. Sam and Ashley high-fived but their joy was short-lived when the banging started. It was regular and loud as it reverberated off the basement walls. The two girls crept towards the direction it came from, hand in hand, and slowly snuck down the corridor. Suddenly, someone in a monk costume and a hockey mask jumped out at them threateningly. Ashley screamed and started sprinting back the way they came, Sam following after her.

The blonde panted heavily as she tried to push over barrels to block this maniac back but, instead, they sped up. They caught up just as Ashley and Sam got to the doors at the top of the basement stairs, Sam trying to open the door. However, it wouldn't budge and the maniac in the monk costume was stomping up the stairs towards them. The blonde and the redhead slammed into the door to try and knock it down but to no avail.

"Why is this door locked?!" Sam shrieked in complete and utter fear. She had no idea who this weirdo was. All she knew was that she needed to get herself and Ashley away from them.

"To keep out s-strangers!" the redhead cried in panic. The monk stopped a couple of steps below them and Sam closed her eyes.

***

"You know what? Mike's as dumb as his taste in fashion if he thinks he can cut in on what we've got going on. Maybe if we're lucky he'll follow us out here and get eaten by a bear or something," Matt huffed angrily as he and Emily made their way up to the cabin. Emily chuckled and shook her head as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hun, it works both ways. I, personally, think you bring out the worst in him," she commented. Matt smirked and put an arm around her protectively.

"Is that so?" he asked. Emily nodded and reached up to place a kiss on his cheek.

"He was so jealous back there," she added. The linebacker grinned with smug triumph at the fact that he'd made Michael Munroe jealous. Matt 1, Mike 0. He'd like to see Mike try and make him jealous.

The couple continued on down the path through the woodlands as snow began to flutter gently to the ground. They reached where the generator that powered the gate was and Emily turned it on. She felt a brief sensation of triumph then led Matt to the gate which was now able to open. The brunette held it open for him and he thanked her gratefully then closed it once Em had gotten through it. She laced their fingers and, whilst Matt carried the torch, she played some poppy music that her boyfriend had downloaded onto her phone. She stopped him for a moment when they were confronted with a strip of police tape that was left behind from the investigation into Hannah and Beth's disappearances. A sense of guilt washed over her but not for very long. Whilst it had been partially her fault that the prank had happened, she felt that Beth had overreacted by running out into the woods the way she had. If she hadn't run off like that then they'd all be here for completely different reasons.

"I can't believe this is still here. You'd think they'd clean it up," Matt sighed. Emily nodded and hummed in agreement.

"They never closed the investigation. For all we know, they could both still be out there," she reminded him. The linebacker visibly shuddered.

"Creepy. As if being out in the woods in the dark wasn't freaky enough," he tutted. Em felt sympathy towards him seeing as he didn't like being out in nature all that much in the first place and it was probably worse now that the twins were gone.

"Well, wherever they are… I'm sure they're happy we're all thinking about them," she comforted him. Matt smiled a little and nodded.

"That's a nice way to think about it I guess."

Emily and Matt kept trekking through the woods together. They started heading up hill, up the stairs that had been built into the footpath. Suddenly, an inhuman screech ripped through the calm air. They both stopped and looked at each other; Matt with fear and Emily with confusion. It was a sound that the latter had never heard before but she refused to think that there was some sort of monster out here. She wasn't a child and she believed in rational explanations and logic. Maybe it was the wind or just an animal they hadn't heard of.

"Did… you hear that?" Matt asked, quiet.

"Yeah. I definitely heard something," the brunette muttered in response before encouraging her boyfriend to carry on walking with her. The sooner they got up to the cabin the sooner they could forget about whatever the hell had made that noise.

"Ugh… the damn path's blocked. There's no way I'm going back to the lodge to drink beers with Mike and the peanut gallery," the linebacker huffed in frustration as they came across blockages and obstacles in their path. They both entered a cave and Emily called Matt's name with worry when he fell off a ledge. She wasted no time in jumping down next to him and helping him up.

"Matt! Oh my god, are you ok?" she questioned frantically. She dusted him down and checked him over to make sure there were no injuries. Thankfully, he was fine. He reassured her that he'd be ok and, after a moments rest, they both meandered through the mines. They pushed one of the carts out of the way and navigated through the tunnels as the light started to get darker. It was a good thing that Matt still had the flashlight otherwise they would have been walking in pitch back darkness.

Walking aimlessly through the mines became tedious after just a few minutes. They had to double-back a few times due to coming across dead ends but that wasn't the only thing that made Emily want to leave as soon as possible. There was a weird shrine with a deer's skull mounted on the wooden planks on the wall of the cave with a drawing of a deer skull beside it. Not to mention the used cigars that were here as if someone came here often. It didn't make sense that anyone would voluntarily hang out down here when it was so dark and dank and lonely. Who the hell smoked cigars in a cave and mounted deer skulls on cave walls anyway? Weirdos, that's who. Emily was certain there was something going on here but she couldn't place her finger on what it was.

Finally, Matt and Emily got out of the mines. It was still freezing cold but at least it was brighter out here and they were closer to the cabin. The trees were beginning to become lesser and lesser in numbers the further up they went. It was also getting a little lighter too as they passed lamps which meant they must have been closer now.

"When Ash said cabin I was expecting more… Abe Lincoln, you know?" Matt spoke up for the first time in a while now. Emily smirked as she reached up to speak into his ear.

"Wait until you see the Lincoln bedroom, hun."

"Hell yeah, I'd go presidential on you anytime, babe."

"Mm, I'd love a ride on your air force one." 

The flirtation carried on for a while as they carried on meandering up the path. The couple reached a telescope and Matt eagerly took a look through it. Emily smiled as she watched how eager and excited he was despite how much he claimed to dislike nature. She knew, though, that deep down he was a nature nut like Sam at heart. He took a hesitant step back after a minute and frowned.

"I… think I just saw someone up at the cabin," he told Emily. The brunette bit her lip and took a look for herself but saw that nobody was there.

"You sure? I don't see anyone," she asked. Matt sighed and shrugged his shoulders. He was probably just tired, which Emily could understand. She was starting to get pretty tired too from all this walking around. Hopefully, they'd reach the cabin sooner rather than later.

***

"Hey…" the masked monk spoke. Sam furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Wha… what?" she questioned in disbelief. She knew that voice and she swore to god that if it was who she thought it was then she was going to flip her shit.

"Hey!" they spoke again and Sam's temper began to rise.

"What the hell?!" she exclaimed, incredulous.

"Boom! You guys just got monked!" Chris laughed as he pulled off the mask and the hood. He had a massive, shit-eating grin on his face as if he'd just pulled off the greatest prank of all time. Unfortunately, neither Sam nor Ashley thought that it was very funny.

"Oh my god, what the hell, Chris?! You fucking scared the daylights out of us!" Ashley yelled but the blond just laughed harder.

"Why would you even do that?" Sam questioned demandingly. He gestured to behind him excitedly.

"There's all this cool old movie crap down here. What, was I… was I not supposed to take advantage of the opportunity?" he replied with a question of his own. Sam couldn't believe the prank he'd just pulled on them.

The door eventually opened and the trio left the basement. Chris still wore the monk robes but had now ditched the mask. Ashley put the flashlight down on a cabinet once she'd turned it off then followed the two blonds back into the living room.

"I'm ready to admit that your dumb little prank may have had a slight whiff of humour to it," Sam sighed in defeat. Chris nodded and walked with a slight arrogant swagger.

"Jokemaster!"

"I said nothing about jokes. I said your prank, which was dumb-"

"C'mon, Sam, you were scared. We both were. Admit it," Ashley giggled. She'd calmed down a bit now that the moment had passed and they were all back in the main part of the lodge again.

"No I was not," the blonde stubbornly disagreed.

"You totally pissed yourself, girl!" the redhead insisted as Sam loudly argued back that she didn't.

Josh got up once he heard everyone else approaching the living area. He saw what Chris was wearing and had to bite back a laugh. He looked ridiculous but also kind of cute too. Then again, Chris always looked cute. More than cute, in fact. But, in this scenario, he looked very cute.

"Bro, the hell are you even wearing?" he chuckled. Chris made the sign of the Christian cross before putting his hands together as a sign of prayer whilst looking into Josh's eyes. Damn not the eyes, Josh thought to himself as he tried to stop his legs feeling like jelly.

"I found my true calling," the blond spoke with fake sincerity.

"I think it would be a blessing to all of us if you took a vow of silence," the brunet joked. Chris began miming and making stupid hand gestures, eliciting a laugh out of the eldest Washington. He punched Chris shoulder teasingly and gestured for him to give him the spirit board. Chris presented it with a 'boi-oi-oi-oing!' sound effect.

"Here's our one way ticket to the spirit realm..!" he anounced, waving it around. Ashley rolled her eyes with a fond smile and Josh totally didn't look at Chris' ass when he started walking away. Nope. He definitely didn't take a peak to find out if he could still see it beneath that cloak.

"Well, I've been through enough spooking for one night, okay? I see a hot bath in my crystal ball. Alright? So have fun. Oh, but watch out for that Josh. He's a schemer!" Sam said, heading up the stairs towards the bathroom. The remaining three all told Sam they'd be in the study and left with the spirit board.


	6. 5. Haunted - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is slightly shorter than usual so I'm really sorry about that but I'm getting into the swing of it now I think. Hopefully, I'll have the next part up tomorrow for y'all :)

Josh, Ashley and Chris sat around the table in the study with the spirit board set up, the counter in the middle of it. Ashley lit a couple of candles and Chris stretched. He'd removed the monk robe now so he was in his clothes from before except for his blue parka.

"So it says here: to communicate with the spirit world you must free your mind of all preconceptions, drop all inhibitions, and generally give yourself over entirely to the will of others, sublimating your every desire to the whims of the Spirit-master, which is me-" Chris stated as he sat opposite Josh. The brunet rolled his eyes as the corner of his lips twitched upwards at his best friend's tomfoolery.

"It doesn't say that," he chuckled.

"-and all present will remove their garments at my sole discretion-" the blond continued before Ashley interrupted him (much to Josh's relief).

"Chris, come on, this is serious," she whined with a pout. Chris put his hands on his hips.

"Oh, I'm deadly serious," he spoke with an exaggerated British accent before resting his chin on his hand on the table, supporting himself with the elbow.

"Shut up, man. Let's just try this thing out," the eldest Washington murmured. Ashley hummed in agreement and all three placed a finger on the counter. Their free hands rested on the table where everyone could see them.

"Okay then, let's see what happens. Josh, since you're a recent convert, why don't you be out medium for today?" the blond suggested. Josh licked his lips and hesitated before nodding in agreement. He didn't really want to do this but… it was like he had an urge. A need to do this. Maybe it was just the fact that he was missing his sisters and any chance to talk to them from beyond the grave appealed to him.

"Ok… is anybody there?" he questioned. "Will you reveal yourself to us if you're there?"

The room was deathly silent. Nobody moved or dared to make a sound. Josh stared intensely down at the counter but it wasn't moving. He was about to get up and go when he suddenly felt it move. He watched as it pointed to the letter H and gasped.

"Wait a minute-" Chris whispered.

"Who's doing that?" Ashley enquired with fear. Josh shook his head to say that it wasn't him but he couldnt speak as the pointer moved from letter to letter, spelling out the word-

"'Help'?" he whimpered in fear. He and Chris met each other's gaze across the table and the disbelief in the blond's eyes told him that it wasn't him doing this.

"How are we supposed to help?" the blond asked.

"I don't… I don't know. What does it mean?" Josh questioned helplessly. He looked to Ashley for assistance.

"Ask who it is," she encouraged him. He nodded and looked up as if the spirit or whatever was floating up there.

"Who are you?"

The counter moved again, this time spelling out 'sister'. Josh's heart plummeted into his stomach. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was starting to get scared. He ignored Chris and Ashley's suggestions to stop and licked his lips. He tried to make words come out of his mouth but it was a struggle. He was terrified of what answer the was going to get if he asked this but he needed to know who it was that was talking to them. What if it was sister as in a nun?

"B… Beth? Sis, is that you? Please, please answer me," he begged. Tears brimmed his eyes as he looked down and waited for an answer.

"Josh…" Ashley murmured but he shook his head. The counter moved to yes and he felt the tears fall down his cheeks. After a whole year without his sisters, he was finally speaking to his sister. He'd hoped he would get closure from this trip and it looked like he might finally be getting it. He could use this opportunity to find out what happened.

"Where do we start? What… are we supposed to say? We're sorry? We hope you're at peace up there?" Ashley questioned in a panic. Josh felt a hand on top of his and glanced down to see Chris' free hand on top of his. He gazedd up at him and saw the desperation for this to stop but he couldn't.

"Beth… please, tell us what happened that night. I… we need to know," the brunet choked out.The counter moved, quick and hurried. It started to spell out library but then moved on to spell proof. That was when the counter flew off the board, making Ashley scream and Josh cry out. No, this wasn't real. This wasn't real, it couldn't be. Someone was messing with him and trying to prank him like they had to Beth. Beth couldn't be dead. Not his Beth. His sisters couldn't be dead. They were still out there, waiting to be found and trying to find a way back to them. He clutched his head in his hands and started to rock slightly.

"No. You know what? No. This is a load of bull. I don't know which of you thought this would be funny, but it really isn't," the redhead scowled. She got up from the table and stormed off towards the door.

"No, Ash, we didn't-" Chris started but she was already gone.Josh muttered to himself over and over that this was just his imagination and that this wasn't happening. None of this was real. He was going to wake up in his bed at home and find Chris next to him because this was all some messed up dream that his mind cooked up to fuck with his head.

"Not real. Not real. Not real," he chanted in a mantra. He felt as hand on his shoulder and then a pair of hands tilting his head back. He stared straight into Chris' crystal blue eyes but his gaze kept darting all over the place. He couldn't focus on anything properly and he started to hear voices in the back of his head. The voices he hadn't heard since he'd started his medication.

"Josh? Hey, cmon, bro. Did you take your meds earlier?" the blond asked as he patted Josh's cheek to get his attention. The brunet blinked a couple of times and momentarily blocked out the auditory hallucinations.

"I think I forgot… the case is in my backpack in the library," he answered as best he could. Chris helped him up and put an arm around him whilst holding Josh's hand with his free one. He led Josh out of the room and guided him towards the library. The brunet felt his legs grow heavy and allowed Chris to sit him down before grabbing the case of medication out of the front of Josh's bag. He pulled out the dosage Josh needed and the eldest Washington swallowed the medication dry. He didn't feel back to normal but the hallucinations were fading out now.

"There we go. It's alright," Chris soothed him as he hugged Josh and stroked his hair tenderly. The brunet felt himself begin to calm down and clung to his best friend tightly. The blond was his rock and the one constant in his life outside of the family (except for Sam and Ashley, of course). He felt Chris' arms tighten a little bit and allowed himself to cherish their embrace like he always did when they held each other in this way. It reminded him of the fact that Chris would always be there to protect him and vice versa.

After a few minutes of holding each other, the two boys got up and glanced around the room.

"Well," Josh broke the silence, "the spirit board did tell us to look in the library. Now's as good a time as any, right?" Chris nodded and they both started to search for clues.

***

"Matt?!" Emily called out, worried. Matt had been there one minute but then disappeared the next. She was about to start panicking when she heard her boyfriend crying out for help. Survival instincts kicked in and the brunette climbed over the fallen tree as quickly as she could, her main priority to save Matt. She wasn't going to let anything happen to him on her watch. Not after what had happened to Hannah and Beth last year. She'd suffered enough loss for one year and she wasn't about to stand by and do nothing whilst her boyfriend could be hurt in a ditch somewhere.

Emily searched thoroughly for Matt; scouring her surroundings with her hawk-like gaze. She caught sight of an abandoned car and bee-lined straight for it. Maybe Matt was hiding in there or something. There was something about it that made her want to check it out, so she approached it without hesitation. Perhaps her boyfriend had waited to play a prank on her but feel asleep in there from how tired he was. It was covered in snow and looked pretty cold which concerned her. She didn't want the linebacker to get hypothe-

"Ahh! Whoa! Jesus Christ!" Emily exclaimed when a mask suddenly slammed itself against the inside of the car door's window as she tried to open it. She jumped back in shock and felt her heart pounding mercilessly in her chest. "The hell is that doing in there anyway?" she questioned herself before going back on her journey again.

The snow began to fall heavier and Emily became more worried about Matt. She hadn't seen any sight of him so far and, if the snow got any heavier, there'd soon be no trace of him whatsoever. As much as people liked to stir things up and spread rumours that Matt was nothing but a rebound, she actually cared a lot about him. He was more sensitive than Mike was and he was more respectful too. He didn't pressure her for sex or try and change her and he actually took the time to listen to her which she was grateful for. He was also incredibly sweet; offering to take her on shopping trips. Emily always declined his offers on that part though. She knew that he didn't like shopping and she didn't want to make him do something he didn't like or want to do.

"C'mon, Matt. If you come out now, I promise I won't murder you when I find you," she spoke loudly in the hopes that Matt would hear her and come out from his hiding place. She wasn't in the mood to fuck around and she needed to get the linebacker safely to the cabin.

Emily screamed in terror when she suddenly came face to face with Matt sporting a couple of deer antlers. She held a hand over her heart and tried to get her breath back whilst her boyfriend laughed hysterically at her expense. She'd be lying if she said she didn't feel a little embarrassed by the shit Matt had just pulled.

"That was so good!" he chortled, putting down the antlers carefully. The brunette put her hands on her hips, upset.

"Not… no! Not funny, Matthew!" she yelled as she folded her arms over her chest. Matt picked up his phone from a nearby log and approached her with it.

"You have to see this, Em. It's hilarious," he giggled and the video played. It was when she heard the words she'd said no more than a minute or two before that she realised the whole ordeal had been filmed.

"You recorded it? Why?"

"Look at your face!"

"I was scared, Matt! You can't just jump out as somebody! I'm out in the woods and it's scary out here," she demanded with a sulky huff. The linebacker just laughed and shook his head, locking his phone and placing it in his pocket when the video ended. He quirked an eyebrow at his girlfriend in amusement.

"It was just a little harmless fun. Jeez, I'm sorry Em. If it makes you feel any better, I won't show it to anybody," he told her. The brunette nodded in approval and placed her hands on his shoulders, Matt's hands resting on her hips.

"Well, that's good. And if you do show it to anybody, I'll kill you," she teased. The linebacker kissed her forehead then they both continued on their way to the cabin.

"I guess you don't really know somebody until you scare the pants off them," he hummed. Emily winked flirtatiously at him.

"Take a good look, hun. As far as I can tell, my pants are still on. It'll take more than that to get me out of them," she retorted. They both exchanged banter back and forth as they walked and Emily couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched from afar.

Snow was coming in thicker and thicker as time passed and Emily started to doubt that they'd find he cabin but she was determined to keep going. It helped that she had Matt with her because of how motivational and positive he was being. They conversed to pass the time as they kept trekking down the footpath and quietened down when they heard the same screech from before. They didn't linger too long, though, and soon the noises were forgotten. They were both wrapped up in each other as if they were the only people left on the planet. When a rustling came from the trees, Emily stopped walking. She picked up a ball of snow and stared into the thicket of green and white. The branches began to move and she lobbed the snow at the trees in the hopes of being able to see what was there. If it was a person, she could ask them for directions and see if they knew whether she and her boyfriend were on the right track or not. A deer leapt out from behind the true and leapt away from them, probably in search of its herd.

"Shit! That thing nearly killed us!" Matt exclaimed. Relief wove into his tone of voice and the linebacker remained close to the brunette the whole time.

The pair approached a shed-like building that was clearly abandoned and run down. Matt bent down to clean his hands in the water so Emily chose to go and search through the shed. She found strange trinkets on the tables and furrowed her brows as she looked through it all. The item that she was most drawn to was a weird looking gas mask that a soldier would have worn. She took it out and looked it over as she approached her boyfriend.

"Hey," she said to get his attention, "check out this weird mask." Matt got up and dried his hands on his trouser legs as he glanced at the mask in confusion.

"That's… kinda creepy," he commented and Emily held it up in her face.

"Well, I think you'd like it if you looked at it more," she argued.

"Just get rid of it, ok? It's weird," he sighed. The brunette chucked it through the window of the shed she'd gotten it from and pulled on Matt's arm to drag him the rest of the way to the cabin.

The rest of the journey was uneventful, much to the couple's delight. They were absolutely exhausted when they got inside and Emily shut the door behind them. It was freezing in here and a lot less like how Ashley and Josh had described it to her but she didn't particularly mind. It was still pretty homely up here and had that distinct Washington feel. Matt sat himself down on the sofa and removed his letter jacket so that it could dry from the snow that had gotten it slightly damp.

"Finally! We're here!" he sighed in elation. Emily smiled happily. She had big plans for Matt tonight.


	7. 6. Haunted - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next couple of chapters may be a little short due to there not being as much content in the chapters but don't worry! I'm gonna try and fill them out a little with something from one of the other characters. You'll find out who at the end ;)

"God, it's freezing in here!" Matt complained, shivering. Emily rolled her eyes but didn't say anything out of good manners. She flicked the light switch but was disheartened to find that there was no electricity. Trust Josh to forget to fix up the electricity in the cabin. He'd been through a lot recently, though, so she could understand that he'd let something like that slip his mind. And she doubted that Ashley would have checked everything down here too so she couldn't complain too much. It didn't mean she wasn't annoyed though.

"Ugh, no power. Great," she tutted. Matt chuckled and stretched his arms above his head.

"You know… this isn't really the cosy chalet that we were promised, is it?" the linebacker complained tactfully. Emily hummed, agreeing, and looked around as she rubbed her arms to try and warm herself up.

"Yeah. I guess it's a bit drafty in here," she agreed. Matt cleared his throat and nodded towards the fireplace.

"There's a fireplace right there, Em," he pointed out. The brunette shrugged and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind, resting her chin upon the top of his head.

"We don't need a fire to heat things up," she flirted. She expected Matt to flirt back but, instead, he didn't respond very positively.

"Emily, we need the fire. That's how it goes in the movies, you know? A proper romantic setting," he argued. Emily bit back the urge to make fun of him for the cliché but didn't keep her thoughts to herself either.

"Matthew, I swear to god I will clock you one if you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting. I'm not doing all the dirty work while you just sit there," she spoke stubbornly. The linebacker tilted his head back to look at her in amusement.

"You can't tell me you ladies don't like that sort of thing. C'mon! Picture it: cuddling up in front of the fire, the room bathed in atmospheric lighting. Maybe a little bit of something else with it," he tried. The brunette sighed and moved away from him reluctantly.

"Alright. Mood lighting and fire it is. You're doing the fire, though. I'm not doing all the work here," she demanded. Matt nodded and got up, announcing he was going to look for some matches.

Emily started looking around for something she could use for mood lighting. A fuse box caught her eye and a proud grin adorned her face. She opened it up and flicked the switch on it. However, instead of the lights all coming on, there was a loud bang and sparking coming from the switch. She jumped back and groaned out of frustration. Her search for mood lighting continued until she came to the fireplace and found a battery powered lamp. Kneeling down, the brunette found the knob to turn it on and turned it. The room was suddenly bathed in a cool blue light and she smirked.

"That'll take care of the mood lighting," she spoke to herself. She then proceeded to get up and looked around for some matches that Matt could use for the fire. She gazed over at her boyfriend and found that he was groping at his pockets hurriedly.

"Hey… Em, have you seen my phone?" he enquired. Emily shook her head.

"No, I haven't. Did you lose it outside?" she replied. Matt shrugged his shoulders and started to mope.

"I must have done. Man, my parents are gonna kill me," he muttered. Emily patted his shoulder and pecked his cheek.

"We can go out and look for it later once the storm has ended," she suggested. The linebacker nodded and they both went back to work.

Emily found a box of matches on the table and picked them up. Opening it up, she checked to see that there were actually matches in there. When she finally did find a match, she passed the box to Matt and the couple moved back to the fireplace. They both worked together to put some logs in the fire place and the linebacker lit up the fire. He closed the door to the guard around it and stretched his arms above his head with a satisfied smile. Emily removed her coat now that she was nice and warm and placed it beside Matt's on a chair.

"Alright, Mr Muscle, what's next?" Emily asked, her tone holding a hint of seduction. She trailed a finger down his chest as she leaned in closer to him. Matt wrapped his arms around her waist and their foreheads bumped. He began humming gently and they both swayed a little. She felt her boyfriend's fingers move to the buckle on her belt and bit her lip as he unbuckled the leather. Her fingers unbuttoned his over-shirt and slid the fabric off his shoulders at an agonisingly slow pace.

Matt's lips tenderly touched hers as he pulled her closer. Emily tugged at his sweatpants and he briefly moved away to step out of his boots before his girlfriend helped him to remove the pants. Their kisses deepened deliciously and they moved over to the sofa. Emily felt that sensation of being watched again but ignored it. She wasn't going to let paranoia get in the way of her intimacy with Matt. She broke the kiss to remove her sweater so that she was just in her blouse and designer jeans and she ran her fingers through Matt's short yet curly hair.

"Mm, you're hot," she purred. The linebacker wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, eliciting a giggle from the brunette, and let his hands slip sneakily beneath her blouse. They leaned in to kiss once more but both practically leapt apart when the sound of a smashing window took them by surprise. Emily's heart pounded in her chest, and not from the lust.

"What… was that?" Matt asked in a mere whisper. Emily got up and looked back at her boyfriend to see the fear in his eyes. He was truly scared which was what she didn't want. She wanted him to feel safe and secure here, despite what happened last year.

The brunette bravely ventured into the back of the lodge and blinked a couple of times when she heard one of the songs from Matt's phone. She came closer and gasped at the sight of the linebacker's phone on the floor of the bathroom and surrounded by shards of glass from the now broken window. Confused, she picked it up and looked it over. It wasn't even covered in snow or damaged by the weather.

"It's your phone!" she shouted. Matt rushed over, taken aback.

"Wha… how is it my phone?" he demanded with anger in his voice.

"It just came through the window," his girlfriend responded. The linebacker took the phone from her and his expression turned from annoyance to fury. Emily had never seen him so angry.

"Oh for fuck's sake - god DAMMIT!" he yelled.

"What?" Emily asked, thinking of ways to try and calm him down.

"Those goddamned assholes probably followed us out here to fuck with us right when we were getting down to business!" he huffed in response. The brunette watched as he stormed out of the room and followed after him. He swung the door open and stepped out into the snow in his bare feet and boxer shorts. Emily felt sick with uneasiness.

"Hun-"

"HEY! YEAH! PRICKS! THAT MEANS YOU! I KNOW you're OUT THERE! The FUCK are you trying to do? You want to ruin our fun THAT BAD?! Well, GUESS WHAT?! You can't! You can't ruin our good time! Because Emily and I are gonna FUCK! That's right! We are going to have SEX! And it's gonna be HOT! So ENJOY IT! Because I know WE'RE GOING TO!" Matt practically screamed with rage into the blizzard. He stood there for a moment before re-entering the cabin and slamming the door behind him. Emily took a step towards him to calm him down but shrieked in fear when a grey hand suddenly smashed through the window and grabbed Matt by the hair. He started screaming out of absolute terror and tried to grip onto the door as he was pulled out of the window but eventually gave up and was torn away from the cabin.

***

Josh ran a hand through his hair and exhaled heavily. So far, he'd found no clues or any sort of proof of his sisters' deaths. He wasn't entirely sure why Beth had wanted him and Chris to look in there or what they wanted him to find so he was a little stuck.

"Whoa…" Chris' murmur reached the brunet's ears. He turned and found the blond in a small alcove full of books. He held a photograph in his shaking hand and Josh knew instantly that there was more to this than what meets the eye.

"Hey, man, what did you find?" he asked. Chris turned to him, face ghostly pale, and held up the photograph. Josh recognised it as the one of the two of them with Beth and Hannah at a beach. It was the one they'd taken the summer before the twins had disappeared. That had been the day he'd almost confessed his feelings to the blond. Almost but not quite. He turned it over and what he read made his blood run ice cold.

I WILL TAKE THEM AND BLEED THEM LIKE PIGS AND RIP THEIR SOFT WHITE SKIN OFF! FUCKING 16 YEARS. 16 YEARS I WAITED FOR PRETTY LITTLE HANNAH AND BETH

No… oh god no… his sisters… had they been murdered?!

"I… I think this might be what the spirit board wanted us to find-" Chris started but Josh cut him off in a panic.

"Chris, my sisters…" he whispered. The blond placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and took the photo off him before folding it and putting it in his pocket.

"We need to go and find Ashley and the others. Get everyone off the mountain and call the cops then show them what we found," the blond spoke slowly and logically. Josh nodded in agreement but part of him didn't want to go. He wanted to stay here and hide away from everything. Hide from whoever left the threatening letter and from the spirits of his sisters. Hide from his memories and his guilt and his grief. He wanted to curl up and hide but there was that loyal and trusting part of him that would do anything Chris told him to. As much as he wanted to hide, he knew that he'd stick by the blond no matter what and that he'd do whatever he was told because he didn't want to be left alone with his thoughts.

Josh let Chris hold his hand and pull him out of the library, bag on his back. He squeezed to make sure that his best friend wasn't part of his imagination or a hallucination and he felt a great sense of comfort when Chris tightened his grip in return. The brunet trailed behind him as they journeyed through the house but stopped when Chris picked up a letter from the table next to the library. He furrowed his brows when he read it, trying to remember if he'd seen it somewhere before. He would have remembered if the police had sent a letter to him or his parents but maybe this was just something that his parents had kept a secret. If they did keep this secret… did they know that someone was after his sisters?

"Hey… Cochise? D-do you… do you think someone was really going after Hannah and Beth?" he questioned, voice trembling. Chris put the letter down and turned to face him so that they were looking each other in the eye.

"Honestly? I don't know. If so that would be pretty messed up," was the honest answer he got and, as unsettling as it was, he couldn't help but feel relieved. If Chris didn't think someone went after the twins then that was good enough for him. He trusted the blond implicitly.

The duo forced themselves to move forward through the house, searching for Ashley along the way. There was no sign of her anywhere and Josh was starting to worry even more. If there really was someone up here on the mountain who wanted to harm them then that meant the redhead wasn't safe. He couldn't let anything happen to her after all the suffering she'd endured over the past year. If it came down to it, he'd rather that he himself be taken if that meant keeping her safe. She was like a sister to him. To Hannah and Beth. Not to mention the fact that she'd had no part in the prank that had made the twins go missing last year whereas he had. He was part of the reason his sisters had run off like that and, if they were both dead, he was responsible for their demise.

"So, um," Chris started, "I've been thinking about something I saw earlier with Sam…"

"What?" the eldest Washington enquired. The blond hesitated before speaking up.

"There was, like, this wanted poster - like full on Western-style, you know?" Chris told him. Josh wasn't really following him.

"So?"

"And Sam really thought there was someone following her around," the blond elaborated. Josh's mind began to race as he put two and two together. It was sounding more like there was someone on the mountain with them every minute.

"So… so what? You're saying there's some criminal up on the mountain with us?" he whispered in terror. Chris was silent but Josh didn't need an answer. The silence confirmed that his best friend really did think there was some maniac up on the mountain with them and that struck fear in his heart. His sisters' disappearance was caused by him and then they could have been killed by whoever the bastard was. He'd sent them to their deaths and he was never going to forgive himself for that.

"We… let's keep looking for Ash, yeah? We need to show her the letter and get her out of here so that she'll be safe," Chris suggested. Josh nodded and told himself mentally to be brave as the blond stepped a little closer.

Ashley's screams pierced through the air like a hot knife through butter. The two friends spun round in the direction the sound came from and the doors to the kitchen rattled as she begged to be released by whoever it was. They both sprinted over to the door and tried to break through, slamming their bodies against it. Chris went first and Josh was about to enter when the blond pushed him back.

"Josh, run!" he yelled as the doors slammed shut. Smashes and bangs and Chris' cries of pain forced the eldest Washington to break through the door with such force that he landed face down on the floor, hitting his head. He groaned as he tried to get up and his head spun. He was in so much pain but he needed to get up and save Chris. He needed to make sure his best friend was alright.

"Chris?" he slurred, the edges of his vision fading to black. He looked around and let out a grunt as he was punched in the face. He fell back to the ground and his eyes fluttered shut as consciousness escaped him.

***

They looked down at the two unconscious forms before them. Poor Joshua and Christopher. They were going to get the shock of their lives when they woke up. By the time Josh would awake, Christopher would be far away from there and tied up next to Ashley in the shed. Then, Joshua would follow the obvious trail they'd leave behind and he'd find his sister-figure and his best friend tied up and ready to be killed. All that would be left then would be to watch who the Washington boy would choose; Christopher or Ashley? That was the question on their mind, really. The one thing they wanted to be answered once and for all. They knew that Joshua would choose the blond in a heartbeat but they wanted to be completely sure. Not to mention that this would bring the boy closer to whoever they saved before they'd have to make their final fatal decision of the night. It was a shame that there was nothing else planned for the brunet tonight. It would be so entertaining to see what else they could do to him but that was where the plan ended.

Such a shame.


	8. 7. Loyalty - Part 1

Emily spotted a shotgun and grabbed it along with the lamp before kicking the door open and sprinting out into the storm with urgency. Whoever the fuck that was just now was going to pay if they so much as hurt a hair on his body. Hell, who was she kidding? Of course they'd hurt him. They'd just pulled him through a goddamn window for crying out loud! There was no way he wasn't going to be harmed from that.

"MATTHEW!" she yelled into the flurry of snow and darkness. She looked around, frantic. She was absolutely terrified that he could die if she didn't hurry and that was what made her panic even more when she saw the fresh blood that mixed with newly fallen snow. She ran as fast as she could, tripping a couple of times, and tried to follow the trail but it was becoming hard to see through the thick curtain of the storm. She knew that there was a stream coming up but she wasn't sure where exactly it was.

"Oh god… oh god…" she chanted to herself as she tried to calm down but the adrenalin and concern blending together were making that very difficult. Her judgement was cloudy and her thoughts were blank as she looked around hurriedly.

She eventually reached the stream and jumped onto each metal barrel that was sank into it, getting to the other side fairly easily. The brunette dropped the lamp and shotgun a couple of times and cursed herself for her clumsiness but she was panicking too much to notice what she was doing. She carried on running and ducked under a low-hanging branch as she focussed only on rescuing her boyfriend from the nutjob that had taken him away. That bastard was going to pay for trying to kidnap her man. Emily jumped over numerous rocks and obstacles in her quest to get to Matt and reached a steep cliff.

"Come on, Em," she whispered to herself as she slid down the slope and landed on her front in the snow. It chilled her to the bone, especially now that she had no coat on, and her movements were stiff for a few minutes. Still, she forced herself to go on. She was taking no chances with this. She was determined to get to Matt and nothing was going to stand in her way.

***

They panted as they stopped for a moment to rest. Carrying a body was tiring work and it was wearing them out, especially as they were carrying an unconscious male. They knew they should have tried to convince someone else to help carry Christopher to the shed but that would mean revealing the plan and that just wouldn't do. No, that wouldn't do at all.

"Stupid… Christopher… too… damn… heavy…" they grunted, listening to their voice through the voice-distortion device. It was a strange sensation but it was necessary so that they wouldn't give the game away. If Joshua recognised them too soon then that would throw the plan off track. They needed to remain mysterious and anonymous so that the others wouldn't detect their true identity. Soon they'd get their sweet, sweet revenge for what those bastards did and they were going to know what it was like to feel the pain and humiliation. They were going to know what it truly meant to suffer.

"You're doing such a good job so far," Beth praised them. They smiled as they finally reached the shed and tied the bodies up against the boards. They removed the mask and turned to look at the pale teen.

"I'm just doing what you and Hannah tell me to," they shrugged with modesty but the eldest twin shook her head in disbelief.

"I mean it. Everything's going according to plan and soon the three of us will have justice for what those jerks did to my sister and I," the brunette assured them. Determination powered them and gave them the boost of energy they needed as they carried out their scheme. The time was coming. It was approaching fast.

"Soon, Beth. Soon."

***

"EMILY! OH MY GOD, HELP ME EMILY!" Matt screamed. Emily reached the doors to the shack and crashed through them. She stopped herself falling and looked around at the total darkness of the room. The only light was the dim one that the lamp produced and that was starting to flicker dangerously.

"I'm coming, Matt!" the brunette called out to her boyfriend as she made her way towards a set of wooden stairs. Matt's yelling and crying grew louder which meant that she was getting closer to the linebacker. She tracked him down by pinpointing his voice and when she was confronted with the sight of her boyfriend unconscious and bloody on an elevator shaft her heart broke. She ran over to his body and put down the gun and lamp, sinking to her knees helplessly.

"No! Oh god… oh, Matthew," she sobbed. He looked so… dead. Lifeless. His dark skin was pale from blood loss and his body was covered in gashes and bruises that were starting to form. He looked like he'd been through hell and back. He probably had by the looks of him, blood trickling from one of his cuts.

"Urgh… Em… help…" the linebacker spoke in a croaky, broken voice. The brunette gasped when she heard him and shuffled closer so that it would be easier for her to pull him to safety.

"It's ok, Matt. I'm here now. I'm going to help you get out of here, alright?" she reassured her boyfriend. He tried to move but groaned in agony. Emily reached out a hand and the elevator dropped as the ground shook. He made no sound as he plummeted down to the bottom level and she screamed. Matt had just died, right before her very eyes. She'd allowed the linebacker to die when she'd promised herself she wouldn't let it happen to anybody else. What the hell kind of girlfriend was she when she couldn't even protect the guy she loved?

The hissing alerted Emily to the presence of another being. She instinctively grabbed the shotgun and aimed up the elevator shaft. Not caring what the humanoid shape was, she pulled the trigger and felt satisfaction when her target disappeared as soon as it had been shot. The brunette sprinted round and up the stairs before slinging the gun over her shoulder and climbing up the cage towards the top. She needed to get as high up as possible so that she could catch the son of a bitch that had made it their aim to make her life a living nightmare. She got to the top and jumped onto the ledge so that she could hunt around for the bastard responsible for Matt's death. She noticed a man in a large coat walking through the cave-like tunnel up ahead and aimed the gun. She pulled the trigger and cursed with quiet anger when the gun jammed. She threw it aside and looked up to find an electronic door closing slowly.

"Oh fuck," she swore and broke out into a full-out sprint. She just about managed to climb under it to the other side and heard it close right by her head. Emily got up and dusted herself off, feeling blood run down her forearm from her elbow. Looking around, she found that she'd lost sight of the man she'd been after and cursed under her breath. She couldn't believe she'd been slow enough to let him get away like that. If Matt was there, then maybe she'd have had a chance.

Matt…

Matt was… gone. It still hadn't really hit her yet that her boyfriend was gone and most likely lying dead at the bottom of that elevator shaft but there was nothing she could do. Nothing she could do to find him and save him, especially now that he was god knows how far down underground. She'd developed a genuine emotional connection with him and now he was just… no. She couldn't let herself think about that right now. Not when she needed to track down the guy who had killed Matt. She had to focus solely on trying to catch the crook and finding the others so that they could help her get her boyfriend back up to the surface for medical attention. By then it would probably be too late but that was the only plan she had for now. This was the train of thoughts that motivated her to keep going through the relentless snow storm that was pelting down from the angry grey skies. Despite the fact that she had the lamp, it was still incredibly difficult to see. So difficult, in fact, that she couldn't even see her hand in front of her face at this point. It was just sheets of white and grey with the faint orange glow of the light emanating from the lamp. She just had to trust her instincts on this one and hope and pray that she didn't trip and fall off a cliff or something. There was no point in her being out here if she was just going to die but she was determined to survive and get as much as help as possible so that Matt would have a chance of being saved.

A sudden calming of the storm allowed the brunette to look up and see properly. Hope filled her when she saw a large, very old building up ahead. It looked like it was at least a mile away but she swore there was a light over there. Lights meant people and people meant help. And if she got over there now, then maybe she could convince whoever it was to help her search for her boyfriend. Maybe she had hope after all.

***

"Hey," Beth called over to them, "when do you think Josh will get here?" They glanced over at her and shrugged, not really knowing what to say. They didn't really talk about Joshua usually. They would just talk about the plan and getting revenge for the cruel prank that had resulted in the twins disappearing off the face of the earth. They hated the others for what they'd done. At least Christopher, Samantha, Ashley and Hannah hadn't taken part in the prank. But everyone else had played their own little part in it. Matthew had written the note. Michael had encouraged the plan to go ahead. Jessica had done nothing to stop it happening and had helped to plan it out. Joshua had watched and not gone after his sisters when they fled into the storm. And Emily… she was the worst of them all. She could have said no to taking part in the prank, said no to the prank all together. She could have warned Beth about the plan so that she wouldn't go to the guest room. She could have saved the sisters from disappearing and tearing a hole in the lives of the Washington family.

"I'm not sure. I made sure he'd be out for at least two hours and it's only been an hour and a half so far. Another thirty minutes and he should be here if everything goes to plan," they answered as best they could. Beth nodded in acknowledgement and Hannah appeared beside her.

"We're so grateful for what you're doing for us. You're doing what nobody else would have the guts to do," she smiled, her expression the picture of gratitude. They felt a surge of warmth at Hannah's words and sat down for a moment. They just needed a moment to rest before Joshua's arrival. The bodies were tied and hung already, waiting for the arrival of the eldest Washington. They knew Christopher would be the first to speak when their precious best friend turned up. He'd be the first to wake up. The room was bathed in darkness and they could only just about make out the shapes of the twins in the blackness.

"You should get into position. Josh could come early and if he does and you're out here then the plan will be ruined," Beth suggested. They nodded and looked around. Christopher was starting to stir which meant there was only a minute or so to get into the correct position otherwise they'd be seen.

***

Chris' head hurt. His neck hurt. His back and his arms and his wrists hurt. His whole body hurt in general. His head was throbbing with pain and his wrists felt like something was cutting into them, his fingers numb. He opened his eyes and looked around as best as he could but the whole room was consumed with an unending darkness. Maybe it was because he'd just regained consciousness that he couldn't really see anything properly. His eyes were adjusting as best they could but he still couldn't make anything out and that was what worried him. He couldn't see Josh anywhere and he couldn't hear him either. That was when it hit him.

He was alone.

Chris wasn't afraid of being alone. In fact, he loved the solitude sometimes. However, in this scenario, he wanted someone here with him. He needed someone. Needed Josh. The blond needed him here with him so that he knew the brunet was safe. If anything happened to him he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. He'd done his best back there to make sure that Josh didn't put himself at risk of being captured by the maniac and that was stopping him from crying and panicking. As long as his best friend was safe and sound, he didn't care what happened next. If Chris died now, he wouldn't care because Josh would be safe and have a chance to get off the mountain so that he could live. He regretted never telling the eldest Washington how he felt but if that was the price to pay for protecting the most important person in his life then so be it.

Josh was the one constant he'd had in his life since his mom had died from cancer when he was only 11 years old. His dad hadn't been around as much due to taking up extra jobs to try and pay the bills so Chris had spent a lot of time with the brunet and they both understood what it was like to have parents that werent around a lot. They'd become closer as friends from that point and it was when Chris was 15 that he realised he had a crush on his best friend. He wasn't sure if he'd already had a crush on him up until that point or if it was something recent but he knew that his feelings were real. He'd kept them secret so that Josh wouldn't somehow stop being friends with him if he found out but others had weaselled it out of him along the way. Sam and Ashley were particularly encouraging when it came to confessing his feelings but he'd never had the courage. He'd never been ready. And now, at age 19, Chris was probably going to die and never get the chance to proclaim his feelings.

But as long as Josh was safe, that didn't matter. He just wanted Josh to live.


	9. 8. Loyalty - Part 2

The cold, hard granite tiles of the kitchen floor were the first things Josh felt as he awoke a couple of hours later. His eyes fluttered as he regained consciousness, hauling himself up off the floor. The brunet steadied himself against the counter and clutched at his head as he scoured his surroundings for Chris. The last thing he remembered was following the blond through the kitchen doors and being punched in the face. That was probably why his head hurt so badly in the first place.

"CHRIS!!" he yelled at the top of his voice with the false hope that his best friend would call back. Obviously, he got no response. This encouraged him to start walking and looking around for him. He picked the flashlight up off the floor and shone it in front of him so that he could see where he was going in the pitch black darkness of the lodge. The light skimmed over something and the eldest Washington bent down to inspect the object. He picked it up, turning it over in his grip, and felt a pang in his chest when he saw that it was the locket Hannah had gotten him for his birthday a couple of years ago. He opened it up and felt his eyes water when he looked at the pictures. In one of the small panels was a photo of Beth and Hannah and in the other panel was a picture of him and Chris. The blond never took this thing off…

"Not good… not good at all…" he murmured to himself and pocketed it before rising again and taking deep breaths. His heart ached at the thought of Chris being all alone and in danger… wherever he was. It was important that he find his best friend now before it was too late.

Josh ventured through the lodge and grimaced at the sight of red against the white wall in one of the hallways. Closer inspection told him that it was blood and he had to tell himself over and over that it wasn't Chris'. That this was just some sort of stupid fucking hallucination. His best friend's blood was not on the wall. He wasn't hurt. He was ok. He was just hiding somewhere, that was all. He continued down he corridor and weaved through the house until he finally got to the open front door. The icy wind slapped him in the face as he left the lodge and wrapped his arms around himself. He wasn't really dressed for the cold whether which was kind of his own fault really. He'd decided to go for the most casual clothing that still hugged his form in a poor attempt to try and impress or woo Chris. How ridiculous of him to think that the blond would be even remotely interested him in that way.

Age 14 was when he found himself falling for Chris. Well, that was when he noticed he was falling for him anyway. It was slow but then came all at once. He knew how cliché that was but that was honestly how it had all happened. Beth and Hannah had been the first to know about his crush and they'd stood by him when Chris had gone from girl to girl (and sometimes guy to guy). Watching him date other people had been hell but he'd managed to pull through by doing the same thing. He knew plenty of girls who'd happily date him if he asked but he only had eyes for Chris. He was the only one who had kept his attention for so long and he was the only one who understood him the way that he did. They had both been through a lot together and that was part of why he cared so much about the blond.

"CHRIS! Cochise!" he shouted as he trekked through the thick snow. He was terrified for his best friends life and his heart was hammering in his chest as he looked around intently. There were traces of a blood trail in the snow so he followed it until he reached a fork in the path. The blood branched off to the left so that was the direction he went in, rubbing his arms to try and keep warm. He wouldn't do any good out here if he froze to death in the middle of searching for his best friend.

He continued up the left path and shone his torch ahead of him so that he wouldn't trip over anything. The blood was worrying him and he was fearing that the worst had happened. Losing Chris as well as losing his sisters wasnt an option at this point so he sped up. He was going to find Chris no matter what he had to do and go throu-

"Whoa! What in the hell? Who would do this?" he questioned incredulously as he inspected the thing that had popped up in front of him. It was a scarecrow with a clown's mask instead of a head and the clothes were covered in blood. The sight was repulsive but he was relieved that it wasn't Chris covered in blood in front of him. No sign of him meant that he was safe. At least, that's what he was hoping. He blocked out the doubts that tried to dig its claws into his fragile mind and turned back around to return the way he came. He got back to the fork in the path and took the right path this time. There was no blood this way but that didn't mean that Chris wasn't there. He just had to keep looking and rescue him then find Ashley and the others and get the ever-loving fuck off the mountain. Crows fluttered past him quietly and he took in the sights of what was around him before cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Cochise! Buddy, you out here?" he called. He almost tripped over one of the rocks on the snow-covered floor and bit his lip. If he was being this clumsy now then he couldn't imagine what he'd be like when they got back to the lodge together.

Josh got to a large shed. It looked abandoned and there was blood upon the floor and door frame which he was suspicious of. If there was blood here and it had led from the lodge then it wouldn't have been too big of a jump to assume that this was where Chris had been taken. He didn't want to think that the blood belonged to the blond but, realistically speaking, it probably was. He hoped and prayed that his best friend was alright and not seriously injured. He entered and bit his lip as he went along, listening out for any signs of life. At first there was nothing but then he heard it; quiet, broken sobbing. He immediately recognised them as Chris' sobs and his heart felt like it was being torn into shreds. He sounded so hopeless, like he'd given up on everything. Josh couldn't bare to hear that sound any longer.

"Chris? Dude, you in here?" he called out. The sobbing continued for a few seconds and Josh almost turned back.

"J-Josh?" Chris responded. The brunet's heart leapt and he felt himself become more hopeful.

"Chris I'm here! Where are you?" he asked as loudly as he could, eyes surveying for any clues as to where exactly his best friend was. He walked forward a step or two and listened out again.

"I'm… I don't know… please… help me!" the blond pleaded. That was all Josh needed to make him keep looking with more urgency. He shone the flashlight around him to make sure he wasn't about to step into some sort of trap.

"I'm coming, Cochise - just keep talking to me! What happened?" he instructed as he trekked through the darkness.

"He tied me up… I can't move!" Chris exclaimed with sorrow seeping into his voice. Josh's fingers tightened around the flashlight and he determinedly stormed forwards.

"Chris, I'm gonna get you out of-" he started but was interrupted by harsh lighting flicking on suddenly. He shielded his eyes and squinted as he looked around in confusion. As he looked left, he caught sight of two bodies tied up against some boards. He stepped forward and gasped in horror when he saw that it was Chris and Ashley. He didn't know which was worse; seeing his best friend and sister-figure tied up like they were carcasses ready for the slaughter or the massive fucking saw blade on rails that led towards them both.

***

The light was blinding. Chris hissed at how much it hurt his eyes but blinking a few times helped to alleviate the pain. His vision adjusted and relief flooded through him when he found Josh behind some metal fencing.

"Josh! Is that really you?" he asked. He then chastised himself mentally. Obviously it's Josh you dumbass, he thought. He watched as the brunet ran up to the door next to the fencing and tried to get it open but to no avail.

"Hello, and thank you all for joining me," a distorted voice spoke through a speaker somewhere in the room. Fear gripped Chris like a vice and he shook, terrified of what could happen next. He'd watched enough horror films to know what was going to happen now. The blond glanced to the side and found that Ashley was tied up next to him.

"Oh my GOD ASH WAKE UP!" he yelled in a panic. The redhead groaned as she regained consciousness and her bewilderment was written all over her face.

"Tonight, we're going to conduct a little experiment. A sort of test," the voice informed everyone. Ashley started to thrash around where she was and tears welled up in Chris' eyes. He noticed the saw blade and he instantly felt sick.

"What is this? Let me down you asshole! Chris, what the hell is going on?!" the redhead shouted with pure rage and horror. The situation seemed to hit her at that point which was when she thrashed harder.

"I don't know, Ash. I d-d-don't know!" Chris whimpered as he tried to move any part of his body but he couldn't. He ached so badly and the pain in his joints was unreal.

"Now for this experiment, we'll need the cooperation of our two test subjects… Christopher and Ashley…" the voice continued. Both teens panicked at this and Chris saw that Josh was in the same sort of state too. He was kicking and kicking at the door but it just wouldn't budge.

"LET US FUCKING DOWN!" the blonde screamed, begging to a being that he knew deep down wouldn't listen. He was slowly resigning himself to his fate and he began making his peace with whatever gods could be looking down at him now.

"However, the voice interjected, we're going to need one more brave participant to help decide… which subject will live, and which will die."

He couldnt breathe. Chris couldn't breathe. All the panic and the fear was festering inside him and building and bubbling and constricting his airways. He wanted to run away and take Josh and Ash and the others. He wanted to hide and, if he were to die, he wanted to be beside the eldest Washington's side.

"OH NO! MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH GOD, JOSH! GET US OUT OF HERE!" Ashley sobbed. She kicked the boards she was tied to but it didn't help her whatsoever.

"Please… please let us down… I'll do anything…" the blond begged helplessly. He stared up at the ceiling and a single tear spilled from one of his eyes.

"Please, please please everyone calm down. It's all very simple. Joshua, you will find a lever placed directly in front of you. All you have to do… is choose who you will save," the voice explained.

Ashley screamed when the saw blade turned itself on. Chris heart was pounding and he swallowed the bile that rose up his throat. This was all really happening… he really was at risk of dying here… he glanced at Ashley and saw the pure fear on her features but there was something not quite right. Something about her seemed… off. He couldn't put his finger on it but she looked like she almost knew what was happening.

"Okay… okay… this is gonna be okay…" the girl whispered to herself. Chris turned his head to watch Josh and saw the utter conflict and agony that contorted his features.

"Please, Josh, don't let me die… not like this," the blond cried. Tears fell freely now and soaked his cheeks. He watched as the brunet ran his hands through his hair and he could see that he was crying too. This had to be the worst decision in the world for him to make. Who would be able to choose between their best friend and the girl who was like a sister to them? Chris knew that he'd choose family over his friends any day so he had a feeling he knew who Josh would choose.

"Just… just… gimme a second… I-I can't think straight… shit…" Josh stammered anxiously. Ashley started pleading for her life to be spared but the blond remained silent. The eldest Washington needed to think about this which meant that he didn't need any distractions. Not only that, but Chris wanted a moment to himself to collect himself before having to hear Josh telling him that he was going to be the one to die. He never got to say the one thing that was so important to him but maybe it was for the best. This way, Josh would have the chance to move on and find someone else. Someone who was good for him and would give him the happiness he deserved.

"Chris, I'll get you out of this. I won't let you die!" Josh exclaimed. Wait… did he hear correctly? Josh was… Josh was going to let him live?

"No… please, no!" Ashley whimpered. Chris couldn't bring himself to look at her. He knew that, if he did, he'd feel nothing but guilt about being the one to survive this horror. He was going to feel guilty regardless but he couldn't look at her. He just couldn't.

The saw blade started moving forward and Chris shut his eyes. He refused to watch this. Josh still had the chance to change his mind at this point so he wasn't getting his hopes up. The brunet was bound to change his mind.

"Ah… I see. You have chosen… to save Christopher," the voice spoke once more. Chris grimaced at the sounds of Ashley's pleas as the saw blade came closer and he screamed when he felt blood splash all over the left side of his body. Some of it landed on his face and he shuddered in disgust. He tried to blot out her yelling but it was impossible.

"I'm s-so, so sorry Ashley!" Josh apologised over and over and Chris heard the fence rattling. 

The redhead stopped making any sound whatsoever. The saw blade was still on but it wasn't cutting through anything else now.The blond kept his eyes closed, even when he heard the door opening. He felt Josh's warm, soft fingers against his wrists as he was untied and he fell into his best friends arms. He was weak on his legs but he somehow managed to find enough strength to stand.

"Don't… please don't look Chris," Josh whispered. Chris opened his eyes and the sight of Ashley cut in half made him throw the contents of his stomach up onto the floor. Tears streamed down his face as he fell to his knees and Josh went down with him, rubbing his back. The blond eventually finished vomiting and he allowed the brunet to help him up.

"Ash… she's really…" he whispered. Josh put his arms around him and helped to guide him out of the shed.

"Come on, Cochise, we need to go," he cooed soothingly into his ear and, strangely, it helped. It gave the blond the courage to get out of the shed and he laced his fingers through Josh's to make sure that he was really there and that this wasn't a sick, twisted nightmare.

Unfortunately, this was all real.

***

"Chris! Josh!" Jess exclaimed in shock when she saw the two boys clinging to each other as they left the shed. The sight of blood splattered all over the blonde immediately set off alarm bells in her head as they came closer. They both looked distraught and terrified and panicked. She and Mike both jogged over to them and the blonde saw that it really was blood that Chris was covered in.

"Who… Chris, who's blood is that? What happened?" Mike questioned with urgency. Josh held Chris tighter and the blond whimpered as he leaned against him. The brunet pressed a kiss to his forehead and whispered that it was all going to be okay soon.

"A-Ash… Ash is d-dead," the eldest Washington choked out. The look on his face was a haunted one and it shocked Jess to the core. Surely he must have been mistaken. Ashley couldn't be dead.

"What are you talking about?!" Mike yelled, incredulous. Chris let out a sob and Josh hugged him so that the blond's face was buried in his neck. He looked up at them both and started to cry.

"T-Theres a maniac-"

"Maniac?" the blonde questioned in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. This didn't happen to them. This happened to kids in horror movies or novels.

"Oh my god. We gotta get outta here," her boyfriend stated.

"I don't understand what happened-" Jess frowned in confusion. This was all too much to take in…

"He… the maniac… he made me choose between Chris and Ash… I didn't know what to do s-so I chose Chris and… I killed her! Oh god, I k-killed her!" Josh explained before breaking down. He and Chris clung to each other as they cried against each other and the blonde finally let it all sink in. There was someone trying to kill everyone up on the mountain and that meant that their friends were in danger.

"This is insane! We need to go get some help," the class president said with firm authority. Jess nodded in agreement and intertwined her fingers with his. If they were going back down the mountain then she wasn't going to let him wander off without her.

"Mike, we should look for the others-"

"Matt and Emily are off 69'ing each other and who knows where Sam is," Mike snorted with an eye roll. Josh wiped away his tears and stopped crying momentarily.

"She's still up at the lodge," he whispered.

"Ok. You two get everyone else together. Jess and I will go and get some help instead of waiting around. You two go, now," the class president ordered. Josh nodded and whispered something to Chris before kissing his forehead once more and leading him back in the direction of the lodge.

This was so fucked up.


	10. 9. Vengeance - Part 1

Emily peeked over the wall that she was hidden behind and watched the man from before enter the building with a couple of wolves. She could feel the blood pumping fast in her veins and bit her lip worriedly as she tried to figure out how to get in there without being torn to pieces by one of those wolves. The cold air bit her arms and she didn't know whether it was that or her nerves that sent a shiver down her spine. She was scared that she'd get attacked as soon as she entered so she needed to find a way in other than the front doors like the man and the wolves had done. That way, there was less chance of her getting eaten by those animals.

"Alright. Time for a closer look, Em," the brunette spoke to herself before launching herself over the wall. Thankfully, she landed in a crouch rather than flat on her back. She rolled her neck and dusted herself down then proceeded to approach the building with caution. The lamp swung in her hand as she glanced around and noticed the sheet of metal against the wall the furthest away from her. She could just about make out a gap at the top and quickened her pace so that she could get there before that guy and his wolves returned. It wasn't easy getting there with all the branches and bricks in her path but she eventually made it and knelt down to move the metal. Relief filled her gratefully as she found that it did indeed come away to reveal a hole that she could slip in through. She slipped in and jumped to the floor before taking a brief look around. This place is a dump, she commented in her head.

After what felt like an age of wandering aimlessly, she finally came to a set of double doors with a latch she could look through. The faint sounds of barking and yapping reached her ears so she looked through the latch silently. She bit her lip, watching the man throw a bone to the two wolves. They chewed at the stark white bones and growled as they did so, their owner walking away. She could just about make out the door that was in the corner of the room and tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge.

"Fuck it," she cursed angrily and found that she needed a key card to unlock it. The brunette swept her hair out of his face and rubbed her arms in a poor attempt at warming up as she meandered through the empty corridors. The wind whistled through broken shutters on windows and the only light source was the lamp as she carried it along with her.

Every room she entered was trashed and destroyed. She couldn't believe how much turmoil this place was in. How had it fallen into such disrepair? It was like no-one had bothered to clear this place since it had been closed down. No-one had tried to repair it or tried to sell it on and so it had just become a mess of rubble and destruction. She read through some of the documents on the tables and furrowed her brows when she saw they were all about miners that had been involved in some sort of explosion in the mines back in the 1950s. There was something massive here that she was missing but she needed to push that to the back of her mind for now. She needed to find someone to help her rescue Matt's body from the bottom of the mines and get everyone off the mountain. There was someone up here that was after them and Emily refused to let another person die here.

The brunette made her way down a set of stairs before ending up in the morgue. It was colder here than the rest of the place and she sighed. How ironic that she was looking in a morgue for someone to help her look for her dead boyfriend. Her chest tightened when she thought about his dead body and told herself not to cry. Emily felt like she couldn't go on any further. She just wanted him to hold her and tell her that none of this was real. That it was all a horrible, horrible nightmare and that everything was going to be alright. She wanted to hold his hand and feel his fongers carding through her hair as they lay together in bed at the cabin. These thoughts stuck in her mind as she pulled open one of the drawers that held a dead body. The eyes were sunken and the corpse hadn't completely rotted away yet due to the ice cold conditions in here. She let out a horrified squeal when a rat crawled out of the mouth and almost threw up. However, she held it back and swallowed it down when she noticed the key card in the breast pocket. She snatched it up and left hastily then backtracked the way she came.

Emily ended up taking a different direction and found a machete that was stuck in a table as if it had been purposefully stabbed into the wood. Blood surrounded the blade and she hesitated momentarily. What if it belonged to whoever had gotten Matt killed? She didn't want to risk them coming back and killing her with it but she also didn't want them to come after her because she'd taken his weapon. In the end, she just pulled it out of the table and wiped it on her trouser leg then hooked it into the belt on her jeans. It was gross but at least she had something to protect herself now so she wasn't wandering around completely unprepared for an attack. Emily left the room she was in and tried to get a closer look at everything as she walked along.

Her thoughts soon turned to the others and what must have been happening with them. Did they know that there was some murderer up here on the mountain? Did they know that they could all get killed up here? What if this person was also the one who'd made Hannah and Beth disappear? She didn't know how Josh and Ashley would be able to cope if they knew about this. In a way, she was glad that she was the only one who knew of the danger. It meant that they were safe for now and weren't panicking.

"Hello… what's this?" Emily murmured when she saw something very strange; a hand sticking up out of a crate and waving. She approached it with furrowed eyebrows and cautiously reached a hand out towards the label that was tied around the wrist. She let out a sudden scream of agony when the hand disappeared and her fingers got caught in a bear trap. The pain was searingly unbearable and she desperately wanted to pull her fingers out but knew that she couldn't. Doing that would sever her fingers and damage her hand further. However, she knew that cutting the fingers off was the only solution in this case. She retrieved the machete and took deep, steadying breaths as she held the blade up to her fingers.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh s-shit," she whimpered repetitively. She pulled her arm back and breathed in and out shallowly as she tried to prepare herself. She swung the blade as hard as she could and bit down on her lip so hard that she could taste blood. However, this still didn't stop her letting out a tortured scream. Tears stung her eyes and she looked around frantically for something to stop the bleeding. When she noticed the first aid kit she made a bee-line for it. She wrapped up the stumps that remained to cut off the circulation so she wouldn't lose too much blood and made sure it was tight enough that it wouldn't come loose. The pain was almost blinding but she knew she had to bite it down and deal with it if she was going to have any chance of getting out of here and finding help.

Carrying the lamp in her uninjured hand, Emily kept going and distracted herself from the immense pain by looking for the way to get back to the door that the wolves had gone through. She heard howls in the distance and gritted her teeth as she ventured over to the door. She looked it over intently until her eyes settled on where she was supposed to insert the card. It made no sound but she hadn't really expected it to in the first place. Honestly, it was a miracle that the card even worked after so many years. Maybe this was all some sort of crazy delusion and she was asleep or something. She wouldn't mind if this wasn't a reality. If this was fake then that would mean Matt was alive. That would mean her friends wouldn't be in danger. Maybe everything since before the prank was a dream and the twins were still alive too. Yeah… if only she were that lucky.

The door opened and she smiled emotionlessly. At least she did something right. It wouldn't make up for her being unable to save Matt but… it was a start. If things looked up from there then maybe shed find help and get Matt out of the mines. If he was dead then the brunette would be heartbroken but at least she'd be able to say that she did everything she could to get to him in time. She made her way up the stairs and the lamp creaked as it rocked back and forth in her hand. Emily tried not to feel like she was about to get attacked but… it was like something was watching her every move and calculating her. She licked her torn up lip and nearly dropped the lamp when a wolf suddenly barked viciously from behind her.

"Oh fuck!" she yelled and sprinted up the stairs, the wolf chasing after her like predator after prey. Her heart was thundering so hard against her ribs that she was certain the animal behind her could hear it loud and clear. Running and running, her arms pumping, she prayed for an end to all these stairs. There were so many flights that she was losing count of how many she'd climbed and where she'd started. She nearly tripped over her feet but recovered quickly before slipping through a door and locking it behind her. To the right of her, the slamming of a door could be heard. She approached the window that overlooked everything below and watched as the man from the mines entered the door down below. She realised where she was and a relieved exhale left her chapped lips.

Emily made her way down the stairs that led from the room she was in down to where she'd been before looking for the key card and she had a better look at everything now that she had what she needed. This place really had taken a hit, so to speak. The walls were crumbling and cockroaches scuttled from corner to corner of the room. It was disgusting but what could be expected of a sanatorium that had fallen into disrepair? This place hadn't been touched in so long that cobwebs covered the corners of the ceiling and dusted thickened the air. The brunette stopped where the stairs ended at a ledge and took a deep breath before lowering herself to the ground. Her knees almost buckled beneath her and she groaned in pain but continued going. She needed to keep fighting. Matt needed her. No… it was her who needed Matt…

"C'mon Em. Stay focussed," she chastised herself sternly and made her way over to the double doors determinedly and pulled out the key card before sliding it into the slot. She left it in there for a moment then removed it and placed it in the back pocket of her jeans, slowly opening a single door. The same wolf from before jumped out at her and she jumped but fought every instinct to kick the animal. It wasn't attacking her, just barking at her in warning. Why should she hurt it if it wasn't hurting her? A few seconds later the wolf calmed down and allowed her to pet it, even licking her palm and nuzzling it. She smiled genuinely for the first time in a while.

The brunette abandoned the wolf to search the room thoroughly and she tried to find the door the man had gone through. She noticed a large jacket hung up on some metal fencing and took it gratefully. She didn't care who it belonged to as she slipped it on. It provided her with warmth and revealed a hole in the metal fencing where a gun rested on top of a small concrete shelf. She reached in to try and grabbed it and cursed when she fell short. Thinking for a moment, she grabbed a small brick that was holding up the concrete and yanked it so the shelf would fall. The gun slid towards her and she smirked as she picked it up. Thank god there were bullets in there because she got a feeling that she was going to need them. She carried the gun over to the door and shot the padlock off when she saw it. The door swung open and she entered with false confidence.

She came out into a small corridor. It led to a set of stairs that descended into darkness and she hesitated. What would happen if she went down there? She could end up getting lost and then what good would she do? For all she knew, someone could be waiting down there to grab her and kill her. She could get jumped and left for dead and then thered be nobody to warn the others that they were in serious danger here. However, she needed to go down there so that she could see if there was somebody with enough compassion to assist her in retrieving Matt's body. His parents deserved a proper funeral in the very least so the best she could do was return Matt to them. It's what he would want. He would want his parents to bid him goodbye properly.

An icy draught blew Emily's hair out of her face and she shivered against the cold as she walked. She headed down a corridor and through a dark doorway before arriving at a locked gate. Rolling her eyes, she aimed her gun and shot the lock off. A couple of sparks struck the ground but she thought nothing of it as she pushed open the gate. When fire suddenly erupted she knew that she'd made a mistake and backed away before the explosion hit with full force.

***

"The plan is going very well so far," Hannah commented from her position seated on the desk of the console. They nodded smugly as they watched each surveillance television screen and noticed that Mike and Jess were coming close to the lodge. They pushed the button that would lock the gate so they couldn't get through and sat back, arms folded.

"It is, isn't it?" they chuckled. This little game of theirs was more than entertaining enough for now but they needed to make a move soon if they wanted to start the phase of the plan that involved Samantha. Joshua and Christopher were too occupied trying to comfort each other and come up with a plan so they wouldn't be back at the lodge for a while yet. Emily and Matthew were in the guest cabin as far as they were aware and there was no need to worry about Ashley. She wasn't going to be making an appearance anytime soon.

"You should torment them with that," Beth suggested, "show them what you want them to see then hit them with it full force." They laughed and shook their head, hair splaying out down their back.

"That would be fun but can we really afford to deviate from the plan?" they questioned. Beth nodded eagerly and Hannah smirked in agreement.

"It's not deviating if you leave it til the end. Besides, you'll be joining us soon after anyway. That was the original plan, right?" the twin with the shorter hair answered. They sighed and ran a hand through their hair.

"Of course. So I torment them all then show them their dead friend one last time before disappearing," they recapped. The twins nodded and Hannah placed a hand on their shoulder.

"That's the plan, yes."

They turned their attention back to the screens and the twins disappeared after that. They knew the girls would be back soon, though. They always came back after a while, always with new ideas or determination to see this plan through. The elaborate nature of this plan had been outlined in great detail over the past year and they'd gone over it many times to memorise every last element. Getting the timing right was important so they were grateful that Hannah and Beth had left them for now. They turned their head momentarily to stare at the body that was cut in half beside them. It had played its part and it seemed that soon Ashley was going to have to make a comeback. Just one final appearance to hurt those assholes for what they'd done to the twins. They were all going to pay for their crimes.

Especially Joshua. That bastard hadn't done a thing to stop his sisters running out into the snow that night. He'd done nothing to try and get them back until a search party had been sent out and by then it was too late. He'd just taken part in that prank so effortlessly and they felt disgusted that someone would do that to their own sister.

They would make sure he got the worst experience out of all of this.


	11. 10. Vengeance - Part 2

Jess frowned in frustration when she pressed the button for the gate and it wouldn't open. What the actual hell? It was open not long ago so why would it be locked now?

"Hey… Mike, it's locked," she called to her boyfriend. The blonde turned and huffed when she found that he'd walked on ahead of her, not even paying attention to anything she'd said. Why was she not surprised? He'd been nothing but a dick since they got here and it was becoming tiring. Jess had no idea what she'd done to annoy him but she knew that she wanted to try and improve his mood if they were going to be looking for help. Maybe a more positive mood would help encourage him.

"I can't… I cant believe Ash is dead," the brunet murmured in disbelief. She rubbed his arm comfortingly and felt him put an arm around her to keep her close.

"I can't believe how she died. I mean, a fucking saw blade? What a horrible way to go," she agreed. She hoped this was some sort of twisted nightmare and it still hadn't completely sunk in that this was a terrible, terrible reality that they were living right now.

"No I mean, what if they were wrong?" her boyfriend asked. Jess looked at him incredulously.

"What?"

"Maybe we should have checked the shed to check that it was really true, you know?" he suggested. The blonde could see where he was coming from but she wasn't too sure. She didn't think Josh or Chris would lie about something like this, nor would they try and prank their friends in this way. That, and the fact that she couldn't even picture Ashley in the state Josh had described.

"I don't know. There are some things that once you see them, you can never un-see them," she said. The couple reached the cable car station and both stared in horror at the mess. The door had chunks taken out of it and an axe was lodged in the door. Mike removed the axe from the door before Jess took it away from him, claiming that she didn't trust him with it. She didn't want him wielding a dangerous weapon and being careless with it like she knew he would. She didn't really fancy getting sliced up by an axe because of her boyfriend's stupidity.

"Alright, how are we getting in then? We can't exactly cut the door down with axe; the maniac would hear us," Mike enquired. Jess nodded in agreement and looked around before spotting a window that was slightly open. She approached it and nudged it open wider, gesturing for Mike to come over.

"You can get through that and break the door open from the other side," she suggested. He looked like he was going to argue but said nothing as he rolled his eyes and walked up to the open window. He got his torso through and wiggled around a little before sliding all the way through. Jess immediately moved to the door and entered the cable car station. Mike gave her a brief hug before closing the door and the couple looked around in shock. The interior was in complete disarray; the walls covered in the word die in what looked like blood. Papers were everywhere and printers and fax machines were strewn all over the place along with the radio and the phone. They wouldn't be able to phone for help from that, that was for sure.

"This has to be the guy… the one who got to Chris and Josh… and Ash," the brunet said. The blonde nodded in agreement and groaned when she noticed the cable car was too far away for them to get into. There was no sign of the key for the cable car either so that meant there was no way back down the mountain.

"Hey, we'll figure this out together. We'll find a way to get help, you'll see," she assured her boyfriend but he just shook his head with an annoyed sigh.

Jess and Mike looked around as they tried to think of another way to find help and the brunet grimaced when he took a closer look at the damage. Jess had never seen a building in such a state and it concerned her greatly.

"Everything looks so… busted up," her boyfriend commented. She bit back the urge to jab at him for stating the obvious and rubbed her arms subconsciously.

"I think they knew exactly what they were doing…" she responded. She watched as her boyfriend eyed up the cable car with curiosity and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Hey… you're athletic and stuff. Couldn't you jump out to the cable car? I mean, it's not far, right?" he questioned. The blonde laughed and shook her head in disbelief. Was Mike actually being serious right now?

"Ha! I'm not that good, Mike. I'm flattered that you'd think so, though," she retorted. He looked completely disheartened as he turned away and Jess followed him as he entered the little control box.

Upon the wall was a map of the mountains and the first thing Jess saw was that there was a fire tower not too far away from where they were now. She instantly started forming a plan in her head and it didn't take her long to come up with something she was sure would work. However, she needed to get Mike on board first and that meant not bruising his ego when she was brutally honest with him. Oh well. He could handle it. And if he couldn't then that was his own fault.

"Mike, there's a fire tower!" she exclaimed to get his attention. She just received a snort in response and had to bite back the desire to punch him. This wasn't a time to try and act smart in order to stroke your own ego; this was a time to be acting as fast as possible to try and keep casualties to a minimum.

"No offence, babe, but maybe we should try and get the cable car working so we can get to the bottom of the mountain?" the brunet smiled patronisingly. Stay calm Jess, she thought to herself.

"We can't get the cable car working without the key and, in case you haven't noticed, the key isn't here. Let's face it, Mike, we have about as much chance getting down there right now as we do of rainbows coming out of Josh's ass," she huffed. Despite the dire situation they were both in, the couple couldn't help but suddenly break down into giggles as soon as she made the comment about rainbows coming from Josh's behind. Jess knew that the fear and anxiety were getting to them which was why they were suddenly giggling as if they hadn't a care in the world. When they did finally stop laughing, the class president approached the map once more. He looked it over thoroughly before turning back to Jess.

"Wait… wouldn't the fire tower have, like, a radio or something?" he enquired. Finally, he was getting the right idea and they were both on the same wavelength.

"Yes! We can use that-"

"To communicate with someone down the mountain and get help!"

"Oh my god, yes! Thank you!" Mike spontaneously pulled the blonde in for a kiss and she relaxed a little as she reciprocated. It was a brief kiss that left her breathless but also more determined to get out of here and get help as soon as possible. Getting help was her secondary priority but protecting Mike was her primary goal. Nothing was going to happen to him as long as she was with him.

The duo left the control box and the brunet jogged over to a ladder. He pulled it down so that they could both get onto it easily before descending down onto the platform below. Mike went first before helping Jess and they both shuffled along the small amount of space with their fingers interlaced, the axe in the blonde's firm grip of her free hand. She made sure that neither of them could fall as they went and they eventually got round to the other side. They proceeded to continue venturing after this and found themselves ascending up the mountain once again.

"Jess… if the radio doesn't work… what do we do?" the brunet questioned. The blonde shook her head uneasily. She wasn't sure what they'd do if the radio didn't work seeing as it was their only hope.

"We'll have to climb down the mountain if it doesn't work," she sighed. She didn't need to look at him to see that he wasn't impressed with her answer but what else was she supposed to say? That they just wait around and risk the killer getting to them? No. It didn't work like that. At this point, she was just relying on luck to get them through this.

***

They pulled the mask on and tucked their hair into the wig before getting up and leaving the room. They locked the door behind them and made their way through the basement and up to the main levels of the lodge. All the candles had been lit and the balloons with the arrows that pointed out the right way to go were all set up ready for Samantha. The blonde's part of the plan had the most potential to go wrong but they didn't care. They knew that they'd get their girl if she somehow got away and that was what made it all the more sweeter.

"I've been looking forward to this part all night," Beth giggled excitedly, jumping up and down. They smiled from behind the mask and cracked their knuckles as they rolled their neck.

"Hopefully, she won't be able to escape once I start chasing her through the basement," they smirked. The twins nodded in agreement and they crept into the bathroom. Samantha was still bathing with her headphones in and they wondered how she wasn't already freezing cold seeing as she'd been in the bath for god knows how long now. They made sure the cameras were all set up and took Samanthas clothes, leaving and closing the door hard enough that it would cause a noticeable breeze.

***

Sam removed her headphones and looked around curiously. One of the candles she'd lit had been blown out, presumably by the breeze just now, and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. It was probably Josh or Chris playing a trick on her.

"Hello? Guys? What are you doing out there? Being creepy?" she asked, muttering at the end. The blonde climbed out of the bath and wrapped a towel around herself just in case anyone was hiding in there and waiting to jump out at her. At least that way they wouldn't see her stark naked or be able to take photos of her like that. She opened the door and looked for clothes but only found a sock.

"Whichever one of you did this is off my Christmas list. Seriously, not cool, guys," she called so that everyone in the lodge could hear her displeasure at being the victim of one of the gang's pranks. Padding out of the bathroom barefoot, she searched for the others and was confronted with a thick, eerie silence. The whole place was decorated with candles that had been lit and she suppressed the shudder that wanted to run through her body. This was all way too creepy for her liking. She just wanted to find whoever had taken her clothes, get dressed, and kick some ass. Well, that and she was getting really cold now that she was out of the bath.

Sam made her way down the stairs and called out for her friends but received no reply. She wasn't surprised, really. If they really were playing a prank on her then they were hardly going to give away where they were hiding. Knowing Chris and Josh, they were probably waiting for the right moment before going to pounce on her and film her reaction for Josh's YouTube.

"Guys? This is really getting out of hand, okay? It was all very funny, haha, look at Sam walking round in a towel, but now I just want this to be over. So, if you could all just give me back my clothes, that'd be great," she huffed. Her annoyance was growing as she still got no response or reaction from any of her friends. It got colder the further down she descended until she ended up on the first floor where the cinema room was. That room had housed some good memories, mostly with Hannah, and she hadn't been it since the day the twins had gone missing. She doubted that even Josh had been in there since the girls disappeared last year.

Sam's fondest memory of that room was when she and Hannah had had their first date. They had come down here with Chris, Josh, Beth and Ashley for a triple date. Sam and Hannah had the cinema room all to themselves and they'd spent the whole night cuddled up in front of the large screen with some blankets, pillows, and tons of popcorn. The blonde glanced around and hesitated before entering with the flashlight. She felt like she was being observed from afar and the feeling only intensified as she actually got into the room. Finally having had enough, she forced herself not to chicken out.

"Hey! Guys come ON! I am DONE with this! I really don't appreciate the silent treatment here!" she exclaimed impatiently. This was all beyond funny now and she was getting so sick of everyone playing pranks on each other up here. Last year should have been enough proof of pranks not being a good idea up here. She screamed out of shock and fear when the double doors to the cinema room slammed shut behind her and tried to find what had done it.

"Hello Samantha," a distorted, calm voice greeted her, "looking for me? I don't think you'll have much by looking, Samantha."

"Wha… what the hell?" she questioned in confusion. She could feel her heart thumping rapidly as a sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.

"You're only going to see what I want you to see… and I have quite a lot to show you," the voice continued. If this was some sort of practical joke, Sam wasn't finding it amusing in the slightest. She was absolutely terrified and felt like running away and crying but she had to stay strong. If this actually was just a joke, she needed to make the others think they couldn't affect her the way they thought they could.

"What is going on?!" she shouted demandingly.

"Open your eyes," the voice instructed and the cinema screen flickered on. The blonde felt sick to her stomach when she saw that someone had filmed her whilst she was taking her bath. 

"She's quite beautiful, isn't she? A beautiful bathing bird. Do you think she has any idea of what lies ahead?" it continued. She licked her lips nervously and shook her head. This couldn't be happening. She must have just fallen asleep in the bath.

"Do you think these were the last moments of this happy creatures life?"

"Why are you showing this to me..?" she enquired with a wavering tone. She backed away from the screen and felt her eyes well up out of sheer fear.

"Why are you watching?" the voice teased. Sam didn't know who was toying with her but she knew that it was getting to her and scaring her immensely.

The image on the screen changed and Sam's heart dropped into her stomach at what she was seeing. She yelled Ashleys' name when the redhead appeared on the tape and almost through up as she watched her best friend being sawn in half by a giant saw blade.

"How does it feel?" the psycho chuckled as she backed away further. Oh god, this wasn't a dream. This was reality and she was in danger. Everyone was in danger here.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" she screamed and a tear rolled down her cheek. Her best friend, the girl who'd been her shoulder to cry on for the past year, had been brutally killed and it had been filmed for some sort of sick, twisted satisfaction.

'Iim going to give you ten seconds, they spoke, ignoring her question as they began to count down. Sam backed into the corner of the room and shook her head in denial. The countdown got closer to zero and she begged for her life, the door smashing open and terrifying her as she screamed again. A man dressed in a blue shirt, denim overalls, a creepy clown mask and scraggly black wig entered the room. She felt his head eyes upon her and placed her hand over her mouth in pure shock.

"Sam. Sam?"Sam threw the vase at the psycho before sprinting through the door on the other side of the room. She just about managed to get through the corridor and into the next room where she jumped over the bed and continued running. She ran and ran and ran, fighting for her life as she tried to get away from whoever this maniac was. She felt tears run down her cheeks as she went into the basement and ran in a random direction. She burst through the door with no handle and locked it from her side before hiding in what looked like a dumbwaiter. She crouched down and turned out the flashlight, holding her breath as she listened to the psycho walking write above her. If he looked down now, he'd see her and it would all be over. She remained still as possible and only let out a sigh of relief when the psycho walked away.

The blonde stood up and exhaled but her relief was short-lived when a hand from above clasped a gas mask over her mouth. She inhaled the gas that was released and found herself growing weak. She tried to fight it but the darkness danced round the edges of her vision before taking over and knocking her out cold.


	12. 11. Psychosis - Part 1

Mike huffed as he and Jess moved swiftly away from the herd of elk. He helped his girlfriend over the rocks and they both walked close to each other as they continued their ascent up the mountain. They'd just been confronted by a herd of wild elk and, thanks to Jess' quick thinking, they'd managed to get away unscathed. The snow started to pick up again and he shivered against the cold.

"If we do get a signal on the radio-" he started before being cut off by the blonde.

"We will."

"-then we tell them we need help. What do we do after that?"

"We go back to the lodge and get the others. It's all we can do," Jess informed him. The brunet immediately showed his displeasure by grunting and shaking his head.

"Won't he be expecting us to go there? Shouldn't we stay at the fire tower and wait there?" he suggested. His girlfriend rolled her eyes at him and he put an arm around her when he heard a loud, monstrous screech.

Their ascent continued on and on until an overhead light suddenly lit up. The couple shielded their eyes and Mike hissed in pain. He really wasn't getting a good feeling from this. They both managed to figure out that it was motion detected which would come in handy for when they were waiting for someone to rescue them. If the psycho came up here, the light would turn on and catch him out. They both resumed their trek and climbed up the steps to the fire tower before reaching the platform. Mike approached the ladder and climbed up it carefully, opening the trapdoor and hauling himself through. He made his way up every ladder, Jess following after but leaving the axe behind.

Once they'd gotten up to the very top, the brunet entered the control room and Jess closed the trapdoor behind them. He went straight for the radio and clicked the on button but nothing happened.

"Great. No power," he sighed. He needed to find a way to contact someone from down the mountain which meant he needed to find a way to get the power on in here. The brunet exited through a door that led to the exterior and found the fuse box. Opening it, he flicked the switch and nodded triumphantly as he heard the radio inside turn on. He made sure to look around in case there was an outdoors telephone but came across something even better.

"Hey, a flare! Get it!" Jess exclaimed. Mike grabbed it and put it in his pocket, happy that he now had some sort of weapon to use against the psycho if he followed them up here. The blonde seemed pleased with his actions as they both re-entered the interior of the fire tower. Mike felt more of a sense of hope now that they had the radio working and a flare to use but the fear of impending death still hung over him like a storm cloud. He approached the radio and turned the dial until there was a decent signal, the mountain rangers speaking up over the crackling static.

"-ranger service for Blackwood County. Over."

"Hello?? Anyone there? Hello! Please say something if you're out there, please we need help! Over! Over!!!" he exclaimed into the microphone in the hopes that they could hear him. The line was silent for a moment and he felt his faith begin to fade. He should have known it was too good to be-

"…Hello?"

"Oh my god! Thank god! We need help, please!" he cried and pleaded over the intercom. He was terrified that this was all going to be for nothing and that he wasn't going to get through.

"…Hello is someone trying to contact us? This is the park ranger service for Blackwood County. I'm not getting your signal very well. Please speak slowly and clearly, over." 

Shit. Alright Mikey, he thought to himself, stay calm and speak slow. They'll come and help soon enough, right? He just needed to speak slowly so they could understand him properly.

"Um… we're stuck up on Blackwood Mountain. There's eight of us in total but one of us has gotten killed. We need help as soon as possible before someone else dies," he explained in a loud but slow tone of voice. He glanced at Jess and smiled weakly when she gave him a proud grin. Obviously he'd done something right by her this time. He knew that she was trying to protect him but he wanted to do the same for her. He wanted to keep her safe and get her down the mountain as soon as possible so that she was out of harm's way and wouldn't get attacked by the psycho.

Suddenly, one of the motion sensor lights lit up and Jess jumped. She looked out of the window but her eyebrows furrowed, unable to see anything.

"I read you, sir," the ranger informed him, "please do not leave your position. We will send out helicopters to get you as soon as the storm has subsided, over." Relief washed over the brunet and he ran a hand through his hair.

"When? How long will it take?" he questioned so that he had a rough idea of how long they'd be waiting up there.

"Dawn, at the earliest. Not until dawn, over," the ranger replied just as a loud slamming against the trapdoor reverberated off the walls. Jess screamed and Mike instinctively pulled her close to protect her. The force that was hitting the door made the blonde in his arms shiver and whimper as they both backed up into the corner. Suddenly, he got an idea.

"Jess, go to the corner over there. If the psycho comes in here, he'll see me and come for me. That'll give you the opportunity to get out and get as far down the mountain as you can. Don't stop, whatever you do. Okay?" he ordered. His girlfriend went to disagree but her protests died down when he gave her a hard look that told her that this wasn't open for negotiation. She reluctantly nodded and hid in the other corner of the room.

The slamming ended a moment later and the couple seemed to calm down a bit. Mike took a step forward but froze when a groaning creak filled the air. The tower started to shift and he grabbed onto the window automatically. Jess began screaming when the tower started tipping and she fell onto the window opposite him. One of the desks smashed through the window beside her and she rolled out of the now empty frame before gripping the railing of the fire tower.

"Fuck! JESSICA!" he yelled in fear. She was holding on tight but he knew she wouldn't be able to hold on forever. He didn't know what to do, though. How was he meant to help her without falling to his death and probably seriously injuring her? He couldn't risk hurting her in this position.

"MICHAEL!" the blonde sobbed as the tower toppled over, crashing into the mines. He let go and fell through one of the windows then held onto the railing beside his girlfriend as he closed his eyes and made peace with god if he was up there watching. His arms ached and he suspected that he'd dislocated his right shoulder but he didn't dare let go. He was determined not to let Jess die.

***

Jess had never contemplated what it might be like to die. She'd never feared death before and she certainly wasn't about to start fearing it now. However, she had to admit that death wasn't at the top of her top ten fun activities list. Her fingers ached and her lungs were burning with exhaustion. She had no idea where she was although it looked like she was in some sort of mine.

"Okay. Alright. We can do this," she heard Mike murmuring and turned her head with wide eyes. His right shoulder looked alarmingly out of place and she bit her lip anxiously. His face was contorted by both pain and determination.

"M-Mike, help me," she begged. Her boyfriend looked up at her before his eyes darted to somewhere behind her.

"Okay. Jess, I need you to slowly climb that way. There's a ledge there that you can jump onto," he instructed, the epitome of calm. Jess looked where in the direction that Mike had nodded and saw that the ledge wasn't too far away. It wasn't too far for Mike to jump onto so maybe he was waiting for her to go first before he tried to move.

"Mike, I'm not leaving you here!" she protested. She wasn't going to let him put himself at risk just because of her.

"For fuck's sake! You have to go now, what are you waiting for?!" he yelled angrily. The blonde felt hurt that he wouldn't let her help him but she didn't know what else to do other than hold on here and wait until they both plummeted to their deaths. She felt awful about admitting it to herself, but she wanted to live. She wanted to live so that she could go and get help and save the others.

So she did as she was told.

When she got across, Jess jumped onto the ledge. She turned around and clasped her hands to her mouth when she saw that Mike was letting his hands slip on purpose. What the hell was he playing at?!

"Michael, come on! It's close enough for you to jump!" he shouted as she took a few steps back to give him some room to land. However, he didn't move towards her or the ledge. He simply gave her a sad smile and hooked his foot onto a hook that was attached to a cable.

"I love you, Jess. You know that, right? I just wanted you to know that before… you know," he murmured. Hot tears dripped down the blonde's face and she shook her head frantically. It couldn't end like this. She couldn't let it end like this.

"Don't you dare. D-don't you fucking dare," she scowled through her tears. Her boyfriend chuckled humourlessly.

"I can't hold on much longer. At least this way, it'll be quick and it'll give that bastard the dissatisfaction of not getting to me first," the brunet said. One of his hands released the railing and Jess let out a sob. Her heart ached painfully and she reached a hand out towards him. He did the same to her and their fingers touched but not enough for her to grab him and pull him across.

"I love you too, Mike," she whimpered. He dropped his hand and closed his eyes before letting go completely and plummeting into the inky depths of the mines.

Jess turned away from the ledge and fell to her knees, rocking back and forth as she hugged herself and let the tears continue to fall. The one man she loved more than anything… he was…

Gone.

***

"She wasn't up there?" Chris questioned, still shaken up after what had happened in the shed. Josh stepped forlornly down the stairs and shook his head as he stopped beside the brunet.

"I don't know… I didn't see her. She must have come down here," he replied. He looked around and furrowed his brow as he tried to remember when he'd set up balloons and candles. They weren't there before as far as he knew…

"I haven't seen her either," the blond sighed. He followed Josh but jumped when a candle lit up by itself. This was all beginning to get too much. "Did… that just happen?"

"What the hell is going on around here? When I agreed to get everyone together this year, this wasn't what I had in mind," the eldest Washington muttered under his breath but Chris heard it. He couldn't begin to imagine how tough this must have been for him. First Ashley dies and now there was a fucking maniac up on the mountain with them all. Everyone was missing and could die at any minute at the hands of this lunatic. Why would they even have a grudge against the Washingtons anyway? Was he missing something?

"Josh?" he spoke up. Josh turned to him with concern all over his face.

"Yeah?"

"I just want to say… what happened back there…" the blond started. He hesitated before coming out with it. "I know how hard that was. Ashley… she was like a sister-"

"Chris, stop," the brunet protested but he carried on.

"I just… I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for saving my life. Nothing I ever say will be able to show you how grateful I am that you let me live," he whispered. They stopped walking when they got down to the basement and Josh took hold of his hand gently.

"Cochise, what was I supposed to do? I couldn't let anything happen to you, man," he replied. He placed a tender kiss on his temple for what felt like the millionth time that night but the blond didn't care how many times he'd done it. It filled him with warmth and comfort.

"I know you and Ash were close, bro," he murmured. Josh offered a fake smile and released his hand but stuck close to him as they entered the cinema room. Shards of china were scattered all over the room and the door that led to one of the bedrooms was wide open.

"C'mon, let's just find Sam. That's what we're doing now," the eldest Washington spoke firmly and Chris dropped the subject.

The duo walked through the bedroom and clung to each other in fear when the door behind them suddenly slammed shut. They were both terrified of this lodge now just because of what had happened back in the shed. For all they knew, the killer could be in here waiting for them to come along so that he could kill them both and tick them off his hitlist. He bit his lip and they approached the door at the other end of the room. Chris tried to open it but yelled in shock when it shut itself with a loud bang. Josh hastily led him over to the other door down the hall and pulled him through when it actually opened, much to his relief.

Whilst Josh looked around, Chris glanced at the hallway they'd just entered. He gasped and slapped Josh's arm when he saw a see-through, white figure with long dark hair pass through a closed door.

"Josh, did you just see that?" he asked with great urgency. The brunet frowned in confusion at where Chris was pointing, not seeing anything there.

"Did I see what?" he questioned. The blonde dragged him over to the door the figure had passed through and pointed at it.

"That, Josh, that!"

"What 'that' is that?" Josh sighed.

"It was like… a see-through shape. Like a ghost," Chris explained. The eldest Washington looked at him as if he was going insane. Maybe he was, but he knew what he'd seen. He knew he wasn't imagining things. 

"Look-"

"Why don't you believe me? I said I saw it, doesn't that count for anything?"

"We've been through hell tonight, okay?" the brunet spoke rationally. "Your mind is fried. My mind is fried. I don't even trust what I've been seeing!" The blond understood where he was coming from but he was adamant that he wasn't seeing things. If his mind were to conjure up any image, it would be of Ashley walking the halls and not some dark haired woman.

"No. You're wrong. I saw it, and I am sure Josh!"

Josh seemed to hesitate before running both hands through his hair then clasping his hands upon the blond's shoulders. He looked him straight in the eyes and brushed the stray hairs up away from his forehead.

"Alright, alright. Maybe… it's… maybe you did see something… let's just keep our heads," he murmured. Chris wiped away the tears that threatened to fall.

"Are we going crazy down here?" he whimpered. Josh pulled him into a tight embrace and rubbed his back, the blond returning the gesture as he allowed a couple of tears to spill over.


	13. 12. Psychosis - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make this chapter a bit longer for you guys to make up for how short the last one was. Hope you all enjoy!

Chris rubbed his arms anxiously as he followed Josh through the bowels of the lodge. It was colder down here than the rest of the house and it felt… hostile. Like they weren't wanted there. The blond tried to shake the feeling of paranoia but he just couldn't. He knew that someone was watching him and he was willing to bet it was either the ghost or the psycho. A bang filled the corridors, making him jump, and he shook in fear. Chris wasn't ready for this. He wanted more than anything to run but he couldn't do it. Sam needed their help which meant he was staying to look for the blonde. A music box played softly out of nowhere and he immediately recognised it as the same tune from Beth's music box that Josh had gotten her for her birthday. He was missing her now more than ever.

"AH! FUCK!" Josh yelled as something flew off the wall and hit him in the head. Chris ran over and checked him over to find that there was a small bruise forming where it had hit.

"What the hell is going-" he started but gasped when he knocked into the rocking horse. He recognised all of these things and that was when he realised that they were in the part of the basement that the twins' toys went when they were either broken or unwanted.

"This is all just too fucking nuts," Josh murmured. Chris agreed with him there and he had to fight harder and harder not to turn back and run.

"How did everything get so freaky around here? Doors slamming and candles lighting up out of nowhere and the spectre or whatever it was-" he squeaked. He blushed in embarrassment and hugged himself tightly.

"Chris, there's no such things as ghosts or spectres. You're just upset and worked up, alright? We're probably just seeing things so let's not lose our heads," the eldest Washington said in an attempt to comfort the blond. Chris just shook his head in defiance and looked his best friend straight in the eye with determination.

"I'm not seeing things!"

"We're tired. We're exhausted. We're frightened. We're not thinking straight so let's just calm down. If we don't hurry, Sam could end up seriously hurt or dead."

"You're right…"

The blond took a peep behind a painting and became curious when he found a key. He suddenly remembered Hannah and Beth's old dollhouse, which required a key, and searched around for it. He eventually found it by the old rocking horse and used the key he'd found to unlock the top. It swung open and he gasped in horror at what he saw. Josh joined him and he felt the brunet tense up. There were dolls lined up and positioned in the two rooms. There were ten of them and they all looked strangely like…

"That's… us," Josh murmured. Chris felt his eyes water and had to look away.

"Hiding there waiting for Beth. Last year," he added with a crack in his tone.

"It's so accurate. I mean, that's exactly where we were all sitting and everything right down to the hair. I think… someone put this here to mess with us," the eldest Washington stated.

"No it has to be the ghost," the blond insisted, "it's trying to tell us the maniac killed Hannah and Beth!"

"I think it's this bastard and he's… he's just trying to fuck with our heads."

They both argued back and forth over who it was for a minute or two before one of the dolls suddenly moved, causing them both to jump. The top of the dollhouse opened up and Chris rose to his feet as he pulled a pink book out of it. As soon as he opened it, he knew it was Beth's diary. This was all getting a bit freaky now and he didn't like the direction this was all going in but he read the diary anyway in case there was anything to suggest who the killer might have been. However, there were no clues in there. It was just stuff about Emily and how excited Beth had been about her coming up to the lodge with everyone last year. That thought of her getting so excited about it made his heart hurt but he could tell that it hurt Josh a lot more than he liked to let on.

The creak of a door opening made them both freeze exactly where they were. The psycho wasn't hiding down here, was he? Oh god, if he was then they were both screwed! They'd both be dead soon enough. Although… wouldn't he have attacked by now? He didn't think the maniac would just wait for them. He'd come to them and kill them immediately, right?

"What was that?" he whispered. Josh licked his lips and they gave each other's hands a gentle, soft squeeze.

"It came from down there," the eldest Washington informed him. They held hands as they walked down the corridor to the door that had creaked. A white-blue glow and smoke emanated from behind it and Josh pulled Chris towards it curiously. The blond's heart was beating so fast and he didn't know whether that was out of fear or because Josh was suddenly being more tactile and protective of him. Honestly, he guessed it was probably a mixture of the two that were making his heart race so much. 

They stopped in front of the door and Chris opened it. He went to enter the room but screamed when the spectre jumped in front of his face with a shriek, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. The brunet ran in there to try and see it again and the door closed itself behind him.

"Oh! Josh! Josh!" the blond cried as he tried to break down the door and get back to his best friend. He felt relieved when it opened by itself and the bewildered look on the eldest Washington's face was enough to tell him that he hadn't expected what had just happened.

"…Nothing," he whispered meekly.

"But you did see it, Josh. For real," he prompted with hope. He needed to know that he wasn't going insane down here. Needed to know that he wasn't so traumatised that he was experiencing psychosis. He knew for a fact that Josh had had episodes in the past that had seemed like psychosis or schizophrenia, especially after the disappearance of his sisters. The PTSD had brought it on according to Dr Hill, Josh's psychiatrist. That was what he took his medication for as well as for depression which he'd been diagnosed with at a young age. It was something that only Chris, Ash and Josh knew about as well as the twins. Nobody else in the group had a clue and that was how they planned for it to stay.

"I saw… something. But where'd it go?" Josh asked.

The duo treaded with trepidation after what had just happened and Chris crept slowly over to a table. On it were a book of different types of high voltage light bulbs and a pair of scissors. He immediately pocketed the latter then noticed that Josh had walked a little ahead. He found another doll but this time without the body and lifted it up for closer inspection.

"Just when you think it cant get any creepier…" he muttered humourlessly. He looked it over but dropped it with disgust when cockroaches scuttled out of the empty eye sockets. He shook his head and backed away to find Josh. The two of them loosely laced their fingers and stayed close when the ground suddenly shook. Dust fell from the ceiling and coated them in a thin film of dirt. The blond could taste soil on his lips and he felt immediate repulsion. Neither of them dared to break the silence that had settled between them as they kept going. They walked on until they found themselves in a room that neither had ever seen before when they'd come down here. It looked decaying and it was falling apart. Why had they never noticed that this place was here? What the hell was this?

"Where the hell are we now?" Chris questioned. Josh squeezed his hand and he could see that he was trying to block things out. He quickly checked his phone and found that it was way past midnight which was when he usually went to sleep so that his meds would work properly.

"This is like a whole 'nother hotel. I had no idea this was here," he answered. He was beginning to shake and the blond was greatly concerned for his health.

"Hey, bro. Are you allowed to take any more dosages today?" he enquired. The brunet nodded silently and briefly. Chris instantly released his hand to go through Josh's bag to where the little plastic bottles were. He handed them both to him and the eldest Washington thanked him softly before taking the correct dosage dry. He eased up slightly and the blond put the medication back in the bag.

They chose to take a break for a moment and sat down on the broken floorboards, arms around each other for comfort and for warmth here in the freezing cold. Chris leaned into Josh's hand as he ran his hands through his blond fauxhawk. Flashbacks of Ashley screaming beside him and the feeling of blood splattering all over him invaded his mind and he whimpered, burying his face in Josh's neck. Was this how his best friend had felt at first when he'd lost his sisters? Was the prank all h'ed been able to think about at that point? No wonder he felt so guilt-ridden.

"I don't think I can take anymore of this," he sniffled. Josh cupped his cheek and turned his head so that they were looking at each other.

"I'm about at my limit here too, Cochise," he smiled weakly.

"All I wanted was to forget last year ever happened, you know? Forget everything," he sighed. Josh nodded in understanding and tucked his hair away from his face tenderly.

"Honestly, I don't know what Beth thought she was doing," the brunet confessed. They both got up and Chris leaned on him for support.

"Yeah… well… you know how it is when you're crushing pretty hard on somebody…" he pointed out, telling himself not to give anything away. He knew more than most people how it felt to crush that hard, if not harder, on someone. Namely on Josh.

"Great, so you're basically saying that we put my vulnerable little sister in a terrible situation and essentially caused her to run away and never be heard from again?" the aforementioned male huffed. Chris started to fear that he'd hurt his feelings but he knew that they needed to have this conversation at some point. So, he chose a different approach.

"If it was you, don't you think you would have run away? I mean, she was humiliated in front of the girl she liked. I can't think of doing anything worse to her," he tried. His best friend nodded in understanding before leading him through the trashed corridors of wherever the hell they were.

Chris bent down and picked up a familiar looking bracelet. He turned it over in his fingers and bit his lip anxiously when he realised that it belonged to Sam. She never, ever took that thing off! Did that mean that she'd come down this way too? Maybe they were going the right way after all. They both reached a set of stairs that led downwards into the darkness and Chris stopped. He had no idea where they were anymore and it must have been getting pretty late now. They needed to turn back and at least get Josh to safety in case he had an episode due to him not sleeping.

"No. I've had enough tonight! I'm not going down any further into this nightmare, Josh!" he exclaimed impatiently. Josh turned to him with wide, pleading eyes and shook his head hurriedly.

"Look, I understand, okay? I'm really freaked out too. But if Sam's down there all alone with a maniac… and we leave? We'll basically be killing her ourselves, man!" the brunet argued. Chris shook his head.

"No, I know, I just… I don't think I can do it," he whimpered. Josh leaned in slightly as he took a step closer and cupped his neck.

"It's not looking good, huh?"

"I'm really scared, Josh," he said. Josh licked his lips and moved his hands to Chris cheeks as he spoke.

"I'm scared too. But I got your back, okay? As long as you got mine?" The blonde nodded with a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. Their foreheads bumped as their noses brushed. He placed his own shaky hands upon Josh's shoulders and gazed into his eyes. His beautiful, sad, captivating green eyes.

"I do. I'll always have your back," he responded, words no more than a whisper. The feeling of Josh's warm breath against his lips shocked him into the realisation of what position they were in and Josh seemed to realise the same because they both separated at the same time.

"Um…" the brunet stammered, "yeah. So let's get this over with, I guess."

"Okay," Chris agreed with a nod.

Further into the abyss they descended and it was getting harder to see, even with the flashlight. The corridors were becoming more closed in too which made Chris' breathing more shallow as he panicked. He wasn't really a fan of closed in spaces like this and the situation they were in wasn't helping either. It was all getting too much again so he grabbed Josh's hand. He saw the surprise register on his face but it morphed into understanding and he pressed his lips to the blond's temple.

"Josh… I'm getting a really weird feeling from all of this…" he stated. It had started back in the shed and it was like a nagging at the back of his head and it never went away. It sat there like it was trying to make him notice it.

"What do you mean?" the eldest Washington questioned.

"I just… I can't shake the feeling that we're missing something. None of this feels right. It doesn't make any sense," he explained. The brunet's face fell and they became silent once more. Chris ventured on ahead until he found some batteries and timers labelled 'TV' and 'LIGHTS'. Why were they here? Were these part of the psycho's scheme? He needed time to process all of this. There was just one small thing he was missing and he was determined to figure it out as soon as possible so that they could all get the hell out of here and go to the police.

When the duo entered what looked like a mix of a kitchen and an abattoir, the smell of rotting flesh and guts hit them like a brick wall. It was disgusting but they both grit their teeth as they walked on. The door slammed behind them and the blond jumped in fear. He turned back around and followed his best friend through the room and came across something he hadn't expected. Upon a corkboard, pictures of them and all their friends were pinned up. Josh's eyes had been scratched out on the one photo and Chris gulped. He sincerely hoped that wasn't a sign of things to come.

"What is this, like a fucking hit list? Christ," the brunet spoke to himself. Chris led him away from the board so that they could find a way out. He gasped when he saw the blood smeared on the floor and leading underneath the big metal door. Josh bit his lip and approached with anticipation.

"Fuck," the blond whispered, cursing to himself.

"Might be Sam's. Let me see if I can get this…" Josh grunted as he pulled open the door. It nearly slipped from his grasp as he pushed against it when he was on the other side. Chris slipped through without hesitation just before the door closed again.After what felt like forever, they both entered another room and saw a female figure tied to a chair. The couple approached cautiously and Chris gathered every bit of courage he could to turn the chair round to them. They found that it was Sam and checked her breathing. Thankfully, she wasn't dead.

"Ohh god. I'm getting a really bad feeling about this Josh. We need to get her out of here," the blond stated in a panicked rush. He whipped round when he heard his best friend struggling and screamed when he fell to the ground unconscious. The psycho came at him with a gas mask but he stabbed him in the shoulder with the scissors he'd found. The bastard cried out in agony as he stepped back and yanked the scissors out of his shoulder.

"Live and learn!" he yelled. Chris frowned in confusion but didn't get to say anything because he was punched in the face, resulting in him blacking out.

***

Josh groaned as he woke up for the second time that night. His head was swimming and he wasn't completely awake yet. He blinked a few times and his vision cleared up to reveal that Chris was sat opposite him and bound to a chair by both arms. Josh himself only had one arm bound but the binds were too tight for him to undo.

"Chris? Chris!!" he hissed. His best friend lifted his head slowly and Josh gasped in horror when he saw the state of his best friend's face.

"Uhh," the blond groaned, clearly in agony.

"Jesus, Cochise - what did he do to you?" he murmured in concern. Chris seemed to look around and the way his glasses were bent alarmed him.

"I think he hit me," he whispered. Josh hated how swollen and purple-black the bruising around the eye already was. Chris couldn't even open his eyes properly. Anger coursed through his veins and he tugged at his binds again.

"I'm gonna murder that asshole's fucking face off. This is him. This is the guy who killed Ashley," he stated matter-of-factly whilst the blond sobbed quietly.

"No, Josh… please don't…" he begged and Josh almost cut his hand on the ties around his wrist.

"You murdering piece of shit!" the eldest Washington shouted up at the ceiling. Chris was crying freely now and didn't seem to be fighting or trying to get free. Then again, in his position it would be difficult to do that.

"I don't… I don't think Im r-ready to die," he whimpered.

"No-one is going to die, okay?" Josh tried to reassure him but he wouldn't have it.

"It's just not fair, Josh. It's not fucking fair! I want to tell you but it's too late!"

Josh felt his demeanour soften. What was Chris on about? What was it he wanted to say? There was stuff Josh wanted to say to but… he wanted to know what the blond had to say.

"Chris… bro… tell me…" he requested in a small voice. Chris looked into his eyes as the tears soaked his cheeks.

"We always talk around it. Always pretend it's not there. And now it's too late… we've wasted everything."

"None of it was wasted, Christopher," the brunet said, saddened by what Chris had said.

"What do you mean?" his best friend whimpered. Josh licked his lips and finally got the guts to say what he had wanted to say for so long now.

"Every second I spent with you, every sleepless night and every second of my time, all of it was all I ever wanted. All I ever wanted to do with my time was be with you. You have no idea how much you mean to me, Chris. You're the most important person in my life and I could never regret any of the time we had together."

"What… are you saying?" the blond sobbed with wide eyes and a blotchy face.

"I should have told you how I felt. How much I love-"

Saw blades above the duo switched on, scaring them both. The psycho's voice spoke to them through the speaker and even though the sound of the saws blotted it out, he already understood what he had to do. He didn't need to be told to know what this was supposed to be. He'd seen enough of these scenarios in his dad's films. He took hold of the gun with his free hand and stared at Chris across the table. The blond immediately began begging him not to do it, not to kill himself for him. He told him how much he was worth and Josh couldn't help but smile sadly. This was the end and he was glad that his last moments were with Chris. The one person who mattered. The one guy that he'd devoted whatever amount of his life that he could to. The only person on the planet that he cared about so deeply and so passionately.

The love of his life.


	14. 13. Loss - Part 1

Sam was grumpy. Was it because her bath was interrupted? No. Was it because her clothes had been stolen? No. Was it because everyone was missing? No. It was none of those three things that had put her in a bad mood. Wanna know what it was that put her in the mood she was in?

She was tied to a goddamn chair.

A stupid fucking chair in a stupid fucking basement god knows fucking where. Oh yeah. Grumpy was a bit of an understatement at this point. She was majorly pissed but also deeply concerned about where the others were. She had no idea who the hell had chased her through the lodge and tied her to this godforsaken chair. However, she did know that everyone else could be dead right now and that there was nothing she could do about it. Of all the crazy things to happen did it really have to be a lunatic chasing her around and killing Ashley? The redhead didn't deserve to die. She didn't deserve what had happened to her and now she didn't even have a chance to live her life because she was gone. The blonde forced herself not to cry at the thought that she'd never get to see Ash again. She wouldn't be able to hug her or hold her or laugh and cry with her. The only thing she'd be able to do was say goodbye and watch her being lowered into the ground. She didn't think she'd be able to handle that again after losing her girlfriend and her best friend last year.

"Sam… Sam, wake up!"

Sam turned her head and saw a familiar face behind the grate. She hadn't expected to see anyone down here, let alone somebody she actually knew!

"Emily! Is that you?" she exclaimed just in case she was imagining things. But, sure enough, it was Emily. She held a finger to her lips and made a shushing noise with urgency.

"Get over here!" the brunette whispered and Sam obliged. It took a few minutes to roll herself over to the grate (thank god the chair had wheels) and she nearly toppled over a couple of times. Her feet were freezing, toes numb from the cold, and her bare skin was covered head to toe in goose bumps. She felt a cool blade against her skin and remained still as Emily cut through the restraints on her wrists. The machete was then passed through to her and she used it to cut the roping around her ankles. Finally free, she let out a sigh of relief and rose from her chair.

"Damn those things were tight. Thank god you found me," she grimaced, pushing the chair out of her way. She knelt down so that she was almost eye level with Emily and clasped the metal bars.

"It's okay. You're okay," the brunette said even though it was mostly to herself. Sam gasped when she saw that one of the brunette's hands were missing two fingers. What the hell had happened out there?!

"Oh my god your fingers! Em!" she hissed. A wave of melancholy seemed to settle over her and she looked away from the blonde.

"Yeah, and I'm the lucky one…"

"Jesus, what happened?" Sam questioned. Emily looked… haunted. Tired. She looked like she was about ready to drop dead right on the spot.

"There's some fucking maniac up here on the mountain. He's… he's trying to kill us all!" she explained. Oh god… the maniac… he'd gone after everyone else too; not just Sam and Ashley. Tonight was turning out to be getting far worse than the blonde ever could have imagined.

"Listen, this guy you're talking about… he attacked me. He showed me these videos, too, and one of them showed A-Ashley being killed… just…" she couldn't finish her sentence. The lump in her throat choked her off and she felt the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes. It was hitting her now that Ash was actually dead. Not going away on an extended vacation. Not hiding away somewhere. Dead.

"Oh fuck… oh god, no… Sam, there's a door here but it won't open. Can you unlock it from your side?" the brunette questioned. Sam nodded and got up without a word. She couldn't bring herself to say anything that wouldn't further upset her or Em. She didn't even have the guts to ask about where Matt was in case he'd suffered the same fate as Ashley. She refused to think about what could be happening to the others right now. She wouldn't allow herself to think about it.

Grabbing her bag and the flashlight inside, she stepped through the door next to her and took a deep, slow breath. She needed to prepare herself. Needed to make sure she was ready if the maniac tried to go after her now that she was up out of the chair again. Looking around, she found the door that Emily was on about and approached it tentatively. There was a large plank of wood that was stopping it being opened so she removed it (with great difficulty thanks to the cold) and stepped back as the door swung open. The brunette entered the small corridor and gave a weak smile that looked more like a wince.

"Hey…" she greeted the blonde with a crack in her voice. She looked even worse now than she had before.

"Jeez. You look like hell," Sam commented with a gasp. Emily looked down at herself and chuckled humourlessly.

"Nice to see you too, Sam. So, are we going to exchange pleasantries all night or find a way out of here?" she asked. The blonde rolled her eyes and gestured for Em to look away as she went to loosen her towel. Emily didn't argue and turned away politely. Sam changed into her spare clothes (white-grey yoga pants that stopped just beneath the knees and a black t-shirt with a red hoodie on top) and rubbed her arms to warm up as much as she could. She was so relieved that she had a bit more warmth now but she suspected that she might have hypothermia in its early stages. She slipped on her running sneakers and slung her bag over her back as she gripped the flashlight tightly.

"Okay. Done. Let's put this thing to bed," she announced with false hope of a happy ending. Either way, she knew there could be no happy ending to this. Not now that Ashley was gone. Poor Ash…

"Amen to that. Let's go then," Emily agreed. The sounds of begging and sobbing suddenly reached the duo's ears and they both glanced at each other in shock. They hadn't known there were others down here with them! Who was it? Who could it be?

"No! Josh, please! Don't do this, I'm b-begging you!" Chris pleaded through his sobs, making Sam's heart pound faster in her chest. Oh no, not Chris and Josh too! She couldn't lose one of them as well as Ashley.

"Oh my god, let's go! the brunette demanded in a panic. The two girls rammed into the door together to try and open it. It took a couple of tries but they finally burst into the room and darkness enveloped them.

Suddenly, a light came on to reveal two overhead saw blades with Chris and Josh sat opposite each other beneath said saws. Chris was obviously distraught whereas Josh seemed to be both relieved and confused. The man in the clown mask and overalls approached the table the boys were at and the blond immediately started to struggle.

"Get the fuck away from us, you psycho!" he screamed and pulled at his restraints. Josh aimed the gun at the maniac and shot three rounds but nothing happened. The lunatic didn't get wounded and there were no bullet holes. Blanks…

"Oh Josh… oh Josh, Josh, Josh, Josh," the distorted voice mocked as the man circled the table. Sam went to run up to her friends but Emily stopped her.

"What the actual fuck?!" the eldest Washington yelled, angry.

"Come on! You've heard of blanks before, sweetie. I mean, really? Didn't daddy ever tell you about using blanks on the film sets?" the psycho teased with a familiar tone of voice. Sam knew that tone but… it couldn't be… it was impossible! She and Emily ran up to the table beside Chris and Josh and watched in horror as the mask and the wig were removed. Long, flowing red hair hung loosely down their back and Sam gasped.

"Ashley?!"

***

Mike came round hanging upside down. Wait… that wasn't right. He didn't remember going to sleep upside down. Hell, he didn't remember going to sleep! His eyes focussed and readjusted only to allow him to see the horror before him. It all came flooding back to him. He was in the mines… he'd let go of the railing… he'd purposefully gotten his leg stuck on a crane hook… oh fuck nuggets.

"Oh god!! Jessica! Jessica!" he called into the abyss but it was pointless. Even if she was still up there somewhere, she wouldn't be able to hear him. He felt the cable of the crane lower suddenly and clasped his hands to his mouth in fear. Oh god oh god oh god… he needed to get out of here, now! He looked up again and saw that there was a ladder jutting out. If he swung across and grabbed it, he'd be able to climb towards the ledge not far away and then try and find Jess.Back and forth he swung, hoping that he wasn't misjudging this. If he missed then that was it. It would be game over. Whilst he knew that Jess would know he loved her if he died now, he wanted to be able to show her how much before he died. Jesus fuck, this was terrifying! He'd never been much of a swinger so this had all the potential to go completely and utterly wrong. He continued to swing, though, because Jess needed him. His Jessica needed him and so did everyone else. He grabbed the ladder rungs just as the crane hook broke and he climbed across to the ledge as best as he could. When he fell off, he was relieved that he landed on solid ground and wasn't falling into the depths of the mines to die on impact if he hit the ground. He heard a creaking, groaning from above him and flinched in pain when he tried to move. The debris from the fire tower above him started to jerk as it descended slowly and that shocked him into moving as fast as he could. He scuttled as far away as possible as a good portion of the fire tower fell and crushed the ledge where he'd just been laying. He was goddamn lucky that he was even alive right now.

Standing up, the brunet barely registered the immense pain in his knee. He glanced down and saw that his knee looked out of place but he didn't particularly care at the moment. So he had a dislocated shoulder and a dodgy knee. So what? He was still going to save Jess and the others. He was going to get out of here. He found a stick and picked it up before tearing up the bottom of his shirt and tying it around the top of the wood he'd picked up. He dowsed it in the drum of what smelt like gasoline beside him then used the fire nearby to set it alight. At least now he'd be able to see where he was going.

"Alright then. Let's get the fuck outta here," he whispered to himself. He turned and began to mildly limp through the tunnels of the mines, faint screeches sending shivers down his spine and making his heart beat irregularly. His pace was slow and steady so that he wouldn't further injure himself. The cool air of the mines chilled him to the bone despite the fact that he was wearing a thick coat over his shirt.

Mike's thoughts turned to Jess as he plodded along. The day he'd first met Jess, they'd both done nothing but argue. They hadn't gotten along very well at first but, as time went on, they had become friends. He'd met her through Emily and they'd become closer as friends when he and the brunette dated but then his relationship with her had ended. He'd thought that the blonde wouldn't want to be friends with him anymore either but it turned out that they had a lot in common. They bonded over silly little things and, eventually, began dating. His feelings had grown fiercely and immensely over the past few weeks and he knew that she was the one. He'd never felt this way about anybody, not even Emily and he'd dated her for over a year! With Jess he felt a genuine connection and he knew now that she felt the same way. He'd never thought that he'd have a relationship like that, especially when other girls only used him because of his reputation, and now he could lose it all if he allowed himself to die down here.

"Hello?" he murmured when he heard the sound of scuttling. Nobody replied so he just put it down to his imagination playing tricks on him. Of course no-one was down here with him. He was all alone and isolated. So isolated… he hated isolation. The cold, harsh loneliness it brought had been one of his greatest fears for years and it had intensified when his parents had abandoned him at the age of 14. He'd been forced to live with an aunt that didn't want him and an uncle that thought he was scum for dating girl after the girl the way he did. He wouldn't need to worry about that after tonight if he died down here. He wouldn't have to worry about his fuck up of a nephew being a whore. Jess had always yelled at him when he'd called himself stuff like that but she wasn't here to lie to him anymore. He knew what he was and that was a whore.

After a while Mike found an elevator. He didn't get his hopes up, though. He was still disappointed when he found that it didn't work but not as disappointed as he could have been if he'd gotten his hopes up. So, he began to search for somewhere to switch on the power. He approached a ladder and started to climb up it. He placed his little torch up there and went to haul himself up when the ladder suddenly fell backwards and he went crashing through the wood that covered the whole in the floor. Down the cliff face he fell until he landed face first on the ice cold ground.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed in pain. He lifted himself up with a grimace and took his phone out of his pocket. When he turned on the flashlight he screamed and backed up against the wall when skeletons appeared in front of him. The sight was terrifying and disgusting but what was he meant to do when they were all just laying there? Of course there'd be dead bodies down here. People died in mining accidents all the time and they went undiscovered sometimes. He continued to limp through the tunnels and glanced around for any sign of Jess or anybody else. He needed help out of here so anybody down here would be a big step in getting him out of these tunnels and up to the surface. Everything was so dark down here but that was to be expected.

Mike walked over to one of the cliff walls and began his ascent. His fingers hooked onto the rocks perfectly as he climbed and he felt a sense of proud achievement when he got to the top. He used his phone to light the way and tried to walk a little faster. He gasped our of fear when he heard the shrieking again but didn't run. His leg didn't hurt too bad but it was still painful to walk on. Suddenly, his phone turned itself off and he was once again bathed in the isolating darkness. A blast of fire from up ahead caught him off guard and he curiously went to investigate what was going on. He found no-one but he took that as a good sign, especially when he found his torch. He looked out over the railing of the platform he was now on and found that he was back to where he'd started. He found the power switches and turned them on with a little relief.

Down the steps he went and into the darkness again. The torch lit the way but he knew that it wasn't going to last forever. He was almost at a normal walking speed now and the shrieks weren't scaring him so much anymore. When he found a cliff face that led up to the moonlight and showed trees and snow, his heart sang happily. He started climbing but slipped down, the rocks too icy. He deflated immediately and sighed. Of course the rocks were too icy. This was his life; disappointment and hopelessness. He turned around and headed in a different direction. He frowned when he found a photograph of Beth on top of an oil drum and pocketed it before carrying on through the mines.

"Huh? What the…" he muttered when he knocked a plank of wood that was resting against the rocks. He moved the rest and gasped in horror when he found Hannah's name scratched into the stone and a tally underneath. Oh god… the twins had been down here. A few moments later, Mike found a cross with Hannah's name on and he started to freak out. This wasn't happening. This was all a freaky, sick dream. He wasn't really here. He wasn't down in the mines. He hadn't almost died. Jess was with him and they were both laying in bed. Yeah… that was it. This wasn't reality.

Yes it was.

The further through the mines the class president went, he found more signs that the twins had been here. Beth's locket had been discovered not long after the cross and he had put it in his pocket so he could give them to Josh later. He knew it probably wasn't the right thing to do but he was sure the eldest Washington would want what belonged to his sisters to be returned to him. He'd probably lose his head over it but it was the right thing to do. A shape caught his eye from afar and he approached it, curious. He touched it but recoiled with a terrified, disgusted scream when he found out what it was. He fell to the floor and crawled backwards as far as possible. He felt like his thoughts of Josh losing his head was ironic now more than ever. He got up and gulped before walking over to it with teary eyes. He bent down to look at the head and shuddered.

"Oh, Hannah…"


	15. 14. Loss - Part 2

Mike left the cavern that contained Hannah's head once he'd buried it as best he could and spoken words of respect towards her. He was filled with grief and guilt now that he knew for sure that his and Matt's prank had actually gotten her killed last year. He felt more determined now that he knew that at least one of the twins were definitely dead to get back up to the surface so he could return to the lodge and tell Josh so that they could get emergency services in to find the body and give her a proper burial. He got to the elevator and climbed in before pulling the switch. It jerked to life and he bounced up and down slightly as it rose to the top. Soon. Soon, he'd be back at the lodge and he'd find Jess and he'd hold her close and breathe in her comforting scent and feel her welcoming warmth. Unfortunately, all these hopes were dashed when the elevator suddenly stopped at a level that wasn't at the top.

"No!!!" he sobbed in despair as he climbed out. He ran his free hand through his hair and held back tears as he tried to find a new way to get to out of here. He rounded the corner but immediately shrank back when he saw a man carrying a large weapon. From the brief glimpse he'd gotten, it looked like the guy was carrying a flamethrower with tanks on his back. His breathing became shallow and quiet and he stayed still for a moment, praying the stranger would go away. Shit, this was probably the maniac that had killed Ashley! He needed to get away from here, preferably now.

Mike took the chance and ran as fast as he could. He jumped from ledge to ledge and instinctively threw the torch at a pool of gasoline on the floor before continuing to run. He ran and ran until he could run no more and slowed to a stop at a dead end. He could hear footsteps getting louder and he panicked. Where the fuck should he go now? He found a little alcove that was shielded by some planks of wood and hid there. He had his flare gun so, if needs be, he could shoot the lunatic with it. He held his breath and stayed deathly still as he hid but he could see a shape moving closer to his hiding place. He tried telling himself he wouldn't be found but what little luck he had ran out there and then.

"Finally!" the man hissed when he found Mike. The brunet was officially screwed.

***

Josh stared up in disbelief. No… this was all wrong. He'd seen Ashley die. He'd killed her! Her blood was splattered all over Chris! She couldn't possibly be there! She couldn't possibly be standing there and laughing as if this was the funniest shit she'd ever seen.

"Ash!" Sam exclaimed as she rested a hand on Josh's shoulder. Ashley… she really was there… oh god, what the fuck was going on?

"A-Ashley…" Emily stammered with a furious tone of voice. Josh looked across at Chris and saw that he was completely broken. Jesus fuck…

"Oh, oh very good! You all got my name! And after all you've been through, too! Good, good-good-good. I mean how does that feel, huh?" the redhead spoke after her laughter had died down. Sam and Emily helped to remove the restraints from the two boys and the brunet rubbed his wrist in pain.

"What?" he whispered but Ashley waved him off.

"How does it feel? Do you enjoy feeling terrorised? Humiliated? I mean, panicked? All those emotions your darling sisters, our darling sisters, got to feel once one year ago. Only guess what? They didn't get to laugh it off like you did, Joshua. Nope! Nix, nada, nope! They're gone!" she rambled, aiming her speech at the eldest Washington. Was… Ashley was doing this to get back at him for the prank? He knew that the redhead had been angry at him for taking part in the prank last year but… he never thought it would make her turn into what she was now. He never thought that she blamed him for their disappearances.

"I don't know if you noticed this, bitch, but nobody is laughing and nobody laughed last year either. The hell is wrong with you?!" Emily practically shouted. Ashley shook her head and gestured to their surroundings with a pout. Josh's guilt built up inside him the more he watched the girl he'd thought of as a third sister… she wasn't the sweet little redhead he and the twins had grown up with anymore. She was… she was…

"Oh come, come-come-come-come. Why the long faces, guys? Come on! It's good to get the heart racing every now and then, right?" she continued as if what Emily said had no bearing on her. "And race they did. I mean, every one of you, just pitter-pat, pitter-pat! I hope you appreciated my little phantasmagorical spectacle!

"No detail too small! No opportunity missed! It was so, so much fun to play the puppet master rather than the marionette for once! To play puppet master to all of your Pavlovian panic! And all that gore? Oh my god, so much gore! There was gore galore! Fake bodies too! I mean, that shit was so damn expensive! And no retakes either, only double takes for you guys! You should have seen all of your faces. Hook line and sinker for every little stinker!"

Josh was in tears now. He'd turned Ashley into a monster! If he'd stopped the prank last year, convinced the others not to go ahead with it, then his sisters would be here and Ash wouldn't be the mess that she was now. He'd made her snap. Broken her. He'd turned her into something horrible and all because he wanted to get back at Beth for trying to dictate his emotions and threatening to tell Chris herself about how he felt. His stupid pettiness had made his sisters go missing and changed the redhead into… this.

"Ashley… why are you doing this?" Sam questioned. Emily snorted beside her and Josh looked away from Ash for the first time since she'd started talking.

"Don't even ask. She's got no clue. She's out of her fucking tree," the brunette huffed. Josh felt the instinctive sense of big brother protectiveness when she said that and couldn't hold his tongue.

"She's off her meds," he muttered. He noticed Chris eyes widen but the blond said nothing. He looked too shaken to say anything.

"Aw come on, you guys. Revenge is the best medicine!" she laughed. Emily got increasingly angry, Josh knew she did. He could tell just by being near her.

"You're fucking done, Ashley!"

"Em, she's sick! She needs help!" the eldest Washington tried but the brunette wouldn't have it.

"I don't need help, Joshua. You're the one who'll need help when I post the videos of this online. Everyone will know why this happened and they'll know that you drove your sisters away. This is all your doing," the redhead sneered and it hit him hard. It hurt him more than anyone would ever know and he felt like he deserved what was being said to him. He probably had driven them away with the prank. He'd driven Ashley away too and look where that had gotten her.

"W-what?!" Chris stuttered in disbelief. The blond got up and looked like he was ready to lash out but he didn't step forward. He'd never hit a girl.

"When everyone on the internet sees this little movie, they're going to know who Joshua Washington is. They're going to know that it was him who destroyed his sisters' lives and drove a pure, innocent soul beyond the point of return. I don't think there'll be enough hard drives in China to cover how many views this is going to get," she elaborated. Josh felt… sick. He felt sick to the stomach that this was happening. He completely took the blame for this and he finally realised that this was what Ashley had wanted. She wanted him to take full responsibility for what he'd done last year.

"What the fuck are you talking about? Matt is FUCKING DEAD!" Emily cried. No… no-no-no… Matt… he couldn't be dead…

"What?" the redhead whispered. She no longer seemed to be enjoying this. Instead, her face was contorted with sadness and fear as the brunette converged on her.

"You hear me? Matthew is dead. And you are gonna pay you FUCKING BITCH!" she screamed as she used the butt of a gun to knock her out. She then turned back to the others with a face of thunder.

Nobody argued with her.

***

"Hey! P-please! This is crazy, you know?" Ashley whimpered as she was pushed along. The redhead stumbled and turned around to face Emily and Josh. Her eyes were unfocussed and it reminded Josh of the way Chris would describe his eyes when he had particularly bad episodes. Ashley wasn't well but he was too scared to stand up against Emily and make her stop.

"Shut up and keep walking, the brunette spat through gritted teeth. Josh felt a surge of anger when he saw the glint of enjoyment in Ashley's eyes. He clenched his fists and had to hold himself back.

"Why did you hit Chris? Huh? Why'd you have to fucking hit him?!" he yelled. The redhead's expression didn't change as she stared him down.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, acting clueless. Josh couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was she actually being serious right now? Yes, she was sick but that didn't mean she had no memory.

"You punched Chris! He did nothing to you and yet you fucking hit him as if he was nothing to you!" he exclaimed. She glared at the brunet and, even though he knew she wasn't in her right mind, he felt himself slipping slowly towards hate where she was concerned. She wasn't the Ashley he'd come to know and love as if she were part of his family. She was delusional and living inside a bubble where she felt that her way was the only way to move on.

"I got so mad," she murmured but it was loud enough for Josh and Emily to hear her words.

"He's our best friend, Ash. You don't hit your friends like that. You just… don't," he reasoned. Her face seemed to soften with guilt but he wasn't buying it. After all the shit she'd pulled tonight, he didn't think he'd ever be able to trust her ever again.

"Josh… please, Joshy-" she begged but he cut her off.

"No. You don't ever get to call me that again. It's Joshua to you," he hissed venomously.

Emily moved forward and pushed Ashley again. She continued to push the redhead towards the shed and Josh tried to tune both girls out but it was difficult. He wanted to be with Chris again, for the blond to tell him it wasn't his fault. He couldn't help but blame himself for this situation. He could have prevented all of this. He could have saved everyone all this hurt and heartache. He listened to the girls bickering about keeping Ashley in the shed until morning and he didn't want to intervene but he felt like he needed to say something. What could he say, though? There was nothing he could say that would make Emily go easy on her, especially when she was grieving for Matt like this.

"Goddamned murderer is what you are, Ashley. You're an animal, so were keeping you locked up like one," the brunette growled out. Ashley shook her head frantically and the innocence in her eyes tipped off the eldest Washington that he was missing something here.

"I didn't do it. Emily, please! Just listen to me! I did not hurt Matthew," the redhead pleaded. She looked completely lost in the overalls and with her hair all over the place, blood smeared down one cheek, but the wildness mixed with innocence and honesty in her eyes… that tugged at Josh's heartstrings. He needed to stay strong, though. He couldn't let her break him. He was still fuming with her after what she'd done.

"You know what? You need to shut up," he said with an exhausted undertone beneath his angry authority.

"Joshy, come on. We're partners. Like brother and sister…" she whimpered. He wasn't going to let her get to him like this.

"Stop! Don't say that," he demanded. This seemed to anger Ashley and a scowl twisted her face, making her eyes seem cold and emotionless as they flickered from one place to another.

"Fine. Be a dick!" she sneered.

The trio eventually reached the shed and Ashley began to resist more. She fell to her knees just outside the shed and began muttering heatedly. Her condition was getting worse but there was nothing Josh could do about it when he didn't have her medication with him.

"Stop talking!" Emily shouted and pushed her onto her front violently. The brunet was too scared to stop her from doing what she was doing but he wanted to. He wanted to stop her badly but he didn't want to be on the receiving end of her fury right now.

"It's not my fault you losers can't take a joke," Ashley replied madly. Josh thought it was a bit ironic coming from her when she was doing this because of the prank last year. The brunette knelt on her back and held her arms in place, eliciting a hiss of pain from her. He could bend down right now and push her off. He could drag her away and they could leave Ashley there to freeze.

"Oh, oh wait, did I hurt you? Did you just feel a little… little bit of pain? Right now I am SO… SO… SORRY," she apologised sarcastically whilst Ashley screamed in agony, Josh watching the redhead's arm being twisted unnaturally. This was becoming hard to watch but he couldn't tear his eyes away. Did that make him a bad person?

"STOP! GET OFF ME!" Ashley sobbed. The eldest Washington licked his lips awkwardly.

"Hey, Em…" he started but trailed off when he couldn't think of anything to say to her. Emily pulled Ashley up onto her knees before yanking her upright to her feet and dragging her into the shed. The latter kept mumbling incoherently and that was when Josh realised that she'd finally lost it. He wouldn't be able to help her recover form this even if he tried. She was broken beyond repair and all in the name of a quest for vengeance.

The brunette led Ashley over to a stool that was sat in front of one of the wooden pillars holding the shed up and forced her to sit down on it. She tried to get up and escape a couple of times which meant that she had to be pinned down by the two brunets. Emily retrieved some rope whilst Josh held Ashley down then tied her wrists behind the pole. She tugged relentlessly on her restraints until she gave up when it cut into her skin. She started to mumble and ramble again and the male felt his eyes well up with tears waiting to be shed. This was one of his worst nightmares manifesting in front of him. He'd lost his sisters and now he was losing Ashley too. How had it come to this?

"Has she ever said this kind of shit before?" Emily whispered to him. He shook his head sadly.

"I've never seen her this bad. She never usually gets like this because I make her take her medication. The only reason I stopped was because she seemed to be getting better," he admitted. He expected to be criticised and judged for what he'd just said but he simply got a sympathetic squeeze of the arm.Ashley was becoming more and more incoherent by the minute. Her sentences were becoming random utterances of nonsense that only she seemed to understand. She was giving Emily and Josh dark looks that suggested she was talking about them and the latter only spoke up when he heard him and Chris being mentioned.

"Did you say something?" he questioned, devoid of emotion. She giggled as she looked him straight in the eye. She began making mocking kissy faces at him and sniggering to herself.

"'Ohh… Chris… I never imagined in my wildest dreams that you liked me!'" she teased, clearly making fun of him. He felt the tips of his ears turn bright red in embarrassment but also in annoyance. Was she seriously doing this right now?

"Stop it," he ordered weakly but she ignored him. She made exaggerated kissing sounds and wiggled around a little.

"You know what that sound is? It's the sound of never kissing Christopher, you wimp!" she laughed. His anger started to boil over and he grabbed the thing closest to him; a plank of wood.

"Shut the hell up!"

"You know what, Joshy? You might as well let Chris sleep with Emily. At least she'd actually know what she was doing, you know? She'd treat him right and give him exactly what he needs! You're a pathetic waste of space, Joshua!" she tormented him mercilessly. He raised the plank of wood but Emily restrained him.

"Let me go! I'm gonna beat her fucking head-"

"Don't listen to her! She's not worth it, Josh. She's just trying to hurt you," she spoke in a calm, collected voice. He lowered his weapon and took a step back, glaring at Ashley so hard that if looks could kill she'd be dead three times over.

Ashley turned her attention to Emily. Josh felt himself begin to calm down again but he was still pretty damn pissed about what his so-called honorary sister had just said to him. He knew that she'd been referring to him not being able to give Chris kids; something the blond had always said he'd wanted for the future. He needed a steady, normal relationship and the brunet felt like he wouldn't be able to give his best friend that. He wouldn't be able to be the normal, sweet, doting husband that Chris would want him to be. That killed him inside but he was still determined to at least try and be with him.

"Hey… what actually happened to Matt?" the redhead questioned. Emily shifted from one foot to the other, her demeanour shifting into something sombre.

"You know what happened," she whispered. Her voice was laced with mourning and Josh understood that pain. He understood the feeling of loss all too well…

"No… I don't… I got a problem, Em. I don't remember killing Matt. I mean, you'd think I'd remember doing something like that, right? Especially when he's so firm… so muscular… bet he's pretty well hung too, huh?" Ashley smirked. Emily immediately pulled the gun out and aimed it right between the redhead's eyes.

"Shut your fucking mouth before I shut you up myself!" the brunette screamed with rage. Josh turned away so he wouldn't have to watch. At this point, he felt like death would be a small mercy for any of them. He'd rather that it be him who got to feel death's cool embrace but if it was Ashley he knew deep down he wouldn't stop Emily. She was beyond help now. He felt cruel and disgusting for thinking that but his head was all over the place tonight. Honestly, he'd let Emily shoot the redhead and then kill himself if it meant he'd be alleviated of all this loss and suffering.

The brunet began walking out of the shed and paid little attention as Ashley begged him not to go. He only hesitated momentarily to speak to Emily.

"I'm going back to the lodge to check that the others are alright. Keep an eye on her until morning. I'll be the one to turn her in to the cops," he stated monotonously then walked out into the night.


	16. 15. Revelation - Part 1

The flamethrower guy grabbed Mike's wrist, making him yell and try to rip his arm out of his gloved grasp. He urged the brunet to stay quiet but he protested loudly, hoping that maybe someone was nearby and would come to his rescue. Oh who was he kidding? Of course there wasn't anybody else here. He was here, all alone, with this psycho who had probably killed Ashley not too long ago. An inhuman screech tore through the air and the man released his wrist to pull a small bag off his shoulder. He handed it to the class president with a sense of urgency.

"Use these! And get the hell out of here… now!" he ordered. Mike didn't need to be told twice. He took the bag and backed up until he fell backwards down a mineshaft. He landed on his ass and got up, retrieving the bag and looking inside to see that it was full of flares. He was trying to take it all in but he knew that he needed to get out of here now if that screeching sound was anything to go by. He pulled a flare out of the bag and lit it up before venturing through the tunnel. He recognised his surroundings a little but didn't stop to check anything out. He just limped through the darkness until he got to a small ledge and eased himself down.

He carried on with purpose and became more uneasy whenever he heard the shrieks. At least he knew now that the stranger wasn't trying to kill him. But then if he wasn't the killer then who was he? And who had killed Ashley and Matt? Unless… what if it wasn't a human murdering people on the mountain? What if it was whatever was making those terrifying noises? That would make sense, right? He felt like it made sense as he continued walking and his thoughts became less jumbled. He came across a few breaks in the rocky walls where it was just wooden fencing. Through the gaps, he thought he caught sight of something climbing up the walls but it was probably just a trick of the light. Just his imagination playing tricks on him. When he found a tight gap between two walls of rock, he squeezed himself through and tried to keep his breathing even.

"Okay… this is gonna be the way…" he murmured. He slowly and carefully crept along and tried not to think about whatever could be coming after him. Was Jess okay? God, he missed her so much. He'd do anything to be with her right now. He missed her smile and her laugh and her smell and he hadn't even been away from her that long. Maybe it was the loneliness of knowing that Ash was dead that was making him crave her company even more than usual. Maybe it was the fact that she was in danger that was making him want to find her and keep her close forever.

Suddenly, a clawed and grey hand burst through the wood in front of him and tried to reach for him. He screamed in terror and made a run for it. It was a miracle that he had been close to the exit of the gap. He sprinted through the tunnels and ducked when another hand reached out for him. Holy shit, what was this thing?! It certainly wasn't a human, that was for sure! If this thing was moving as quickly as he thought then it was entirely possible that it could have gotten to Jess before coming after him. He jumped from platform to platform and found that his surroundings were very familiar to him now. He was going back the way he came before which meant that he was going back to the elevator. Hopefully, it would actually take him to the top and he'd be able to get out of this goddamn hellhole. He came to a fork in the path and almost dropped the flare when the monster dropped down in front of him. It screeched in his face, grey skin around its maw of fangs pulling taught, and he ran right.

"Oh fuck! Oh Jesus hot sauce Christmas cake!" he exclaimed as he kept on running. His lungs were burning and his knee was killing him but he didn't stop. He wouldn't stop. He just kept going until he got to the elevator.

Pulling the switch, Mike crouched down so that the monster wouldn't see him. His breathing was shallow and the blood rushing through his ears was almost deafening. He shivered in fear and hugged himself tightly as he tried to stay calm. He couldn't fight the fear and he was absolutely terrified right now that he was going to die up here. That monster could jump into the elevator right now and it could kill him so easily with those claws and those fangs. He allowed himself to stand up when it stopped right at the top but froze when it started to shake. A hiss came from behind the wooden panels of the elevator and he remained completely motionless. If it didn't think he was there then it would move on and look for him somewhere else. He just needed to stay still. The elevator shook a few times and he fought against every instinct to move. He just needed to stay still a little longer. Just a little longer…

The monster seemed to move away from the elevator which encouraged Mike to flee. He yanked on an overhead chain which sent barrels crashing down in front of the creature which he now saw was following behind him. He sped up the steps and tipped over a few barrels of gasoline in his haste to get the hell away from there. The fuel leaked out everywhere and drenched the wooden floorboards beneath him. Good. If he set it on fire the creature wouldn't be able to follow him without burning itself. He used a flare to set it alight and jumped down onto a lower ledge. He was so close to being outside the mines now and he switched on a conveyer belt that he came across. He instinctively jumped on and crawled up it to get away as quickly as possible. When he came up to a second conveyer belt, he jumped onto it and ran up. He was finally at the top and he was nearly there. So, so close now.

"Come on, come on," he murmured to himself in encouragement. He sped up to the shed and then out the other side before locking it behind him. He leaned against the door, relieved, and took deep breaths. Pain enveloped him and centred on his shoulder, eliciting an agonised scream. He retrieved the flare gun from his pocket and shot it behind him, making the monster screech in pain, then ran away. He leapt from beam to beam then eventually jumped down onto the snowy forest floor. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he'd just been bitten by that… thing. He couldn't worry about that now, though. He needed to leave and get back to the lodge to check on everyone. Make sure they were all still alive.

He set off as fast as he could, not caring what he dropped along the way. He ended up losing the flare gun and all the flares in the bag but he felt that it was necessary to stay safe if that meant getting to the lodge in time. His legs almost gave out numerous times but that wasn't at the top of his main list of concerns. He was much more concerned about Jess' wellbeing as well as the others. He would die to protect his friends and then some. He spotted the lodge up ahead and let out a scream in the hopes that those inside would hear and get ready to let him in. The brunet reached the door and pounded his fists against it.

"Let me in! Let me in!" he exclaimed in a panic. He heard crashing around from inside and pushed past Josh when he opened the door.

"Oh my god, Mike!" he gasped.

"Shut the door! Oh my god, shut the fucking door!" he yelled. Josh did as he was told and Mike closed his eyes, breathing in and out carefully.

He was safe.

***

When Josh had seen Mike at the door, he'd been stunned. He hadn't expected to see him and he'd honestly forgotten for a moment that there were others out there apart from Emily and Ashley. He felt a bit silly now for forgetting about the others but, after the night he'd had, he didn't blame himself for that. He knew that everything else was down to him, though.

"Mike, are you alright?" he questioned as Sam and Chris helped him over to the sofa. He looked completely shaken up and his coat looked bloodied and torn.

"I didn't think I'd make it," he panted.

"You were screaming bloody murder out there, bro", he responded. Sam and Chris helped him to sit down and tried to calm him as he started rambling about being chased by something in the mines. Josh immediately knew that something was up. Ashley was in the shed currently and she'd been terrorising everyone up at the lodge for the past couple of hours. So who the hell had been chasing Mike through the mines?

"Calm down, okay? Just tell us what happened," Sam spoke in soothing tones that calmed not just Mike but the others too.

"Mike, are you okay?" Josh asked as he came closer. The class president honestly looked like he'd been dragged through hell to get back here.

"I'm fine, I don't feel anything. I just need to calm down. It was moving so damn fast-" the younger brunet rushed through his words with his head in his hands.

"What?" the eldest Washington frowned.

"I just had to get away-"

"Away from what?" Sam murmured.

Mike launched into a long explanation about what had happened to him in the mines. He went over how he and Jess had found the axe at the cable car station and the fire tower crashing down into the mines. He talked about how he'd made Jess leave without him so that she could live and try and get help whilst he'd almost fallen to his death and then fought his way back here. He spoke quietly when he talked about his girlfriend and it was clear to anybody listening, whether they knew him or not, that it was eating him up inside. The blonde hadn't come back to the lodge and they'd heard nothing from her in the past few hours. Josh was silently praying that she wasn't dead like Matt was. It was when he started saying that he'd been chased by a monster that the brunet interrupted the younger male.

"What do you mean a monster?" he questioned. The room was silent for a moment as Mike licked his lips.

"It… I don't know what-" he started but cut himself off when Emily ran in. The two embraced tightly before stepping apart to check each other over. It was a shame things didn't work out between them, Josh thought to himself absentmindedly. Any thoughts to distract him from the horror of the night so far was more than welcome to him.

"Thank god you're alright! Where's Jess? Oh my god, is she okay?" Emily questioned hurriedly, worried about her best friend. Mike looked away and ran a hand through his hair.

"There was a monster in the mines… chasing me… I d-don't know where Jess is," he mumbled. The brunette clasped her hands to her mouth in shock and Josh felt for her, he really did. If it was Chris that were missing then he'd be frantic with concern too.

Loud banging from the door made everyone turn around in unison. Could it be Ashley? Jess? If it was one of them then why weren't they calling out to be let in rather than just remaining speechless whilst knocking? What if… what if whatever had chased Mike through the mines was trying to get in? No… it wouldn't be that. If it was the thing that had chased Mike then it would be trying to break in and not knocking on the door.

"Who the fuck can that be?" Emily whispered as she looked around.

"Ashley?" Chris enquired but the brunette waved the suggestion away dismissively.

"Is it Matt?" Mike murmured and Emily flinched as if opening an old wound. With everything going on, it was easy to forget for a moment that Matt was no longer with them. That he was, dare he say it, dead.

"You guys should go and check it out," Sam encouraged the two brunets. They nodded to each other and Emily kept a firm grip of the gun as they approached the door. A dark shape moved in front of it and the eldest Washington felt his heart rate pick up. What if there was a real killer on the mountain? Could this be a real psycho who was waiting for the door to be opened so that they could waltz in and slaughter everyone with ease? It would be just their luck if it was. Maybe this was going to be Josh's real punishment; opening the door and being killed by a lunatic that resided on the mountain.

"Okay. I'm gonna open the door. I-I got your back, alright?" he whispered. Emily nodded and gestured for him to go ahead and open up the door. He took a cautious step forward and placed his hand on the door knob. Taking a deep breath, he swung it open and got knocked back by the person who'd been banging on the glass. They slammed it shut behind them and disarmed Emily without breaking a sweat. A scar ran through the right eye of their face and they seemed aged and wise despite the fact that they must have only been in their early forties or something.

"Everybody just calm down. Now just move over there and let me say what I came to say," they ordered with such authority that the two brunets immediately did as they were told.

Moving back to where the others were, the stranger with the flamethrower on his back dropped his bag to the floor and positioned himself so that everyone could see him. He was dressed in layers and seemed to have been toughened and rough around the edges. His intense glare was enough to intimidate Josh and make him shrink back in his seat.

"Hey, who…" Chris started but trailed off when pinned by the cold stare of the stranger.

"I'm here to tell you what you're up against being back on this mountain. You should never have returned. I don't know why you did after what happened last year," he started. Mike's brows furrowed and Josh could see the clogs turning in his head as he stood up.

"You mean with Hannah and Beth? How could you know about that?" he asked. The elder brunet licked his lips and looked down at the floor at the mention of his sisters. The flamethrower guy continued.

"I don't take kindly to you kids coming up to my mountain-"

"Your mountain?" Josh snorted as he jumped up. "No, not your mountain. My mountain. My family's mountain. We bought it."

"Well this mountain don't belong to me, it's true. But it certainly don't belong to you either, son. This mountain belongs to the Wendigo," the stranger replied. The eldest Washington felt his heart drop into his stomach. He'd studied the Wendigo folklore of Canada for a paper back in high school and it had made him feel uneasy then. He didn't believe in the stories but it definitely sent a shiver down his spine.

"The hell is a Wendigo?" Emily huffed, clearly not believing him.The stranger launched into an explanation of the curse that resided in the mountain. That when a man or woman resorts to cannibalism, the Wendigo possesses them. Emily seemed to change from disbelieving to curious in a matter of seconds and Josh continued to pay attention. The stranger told them all to stay somewhere safe and everyone else decided that the basement would be the best place for them to wait it out until dawn when theyd be able to head back down the mountain without fear of getting killed. When Emily reminded them that Ashley was still in the shed, Josh panicked. As horrible as the trick she'd played on them had been, it would be wrong for them to leave her out there to be taken by the Wendigo.

"I'll go get her," he piped up. Chris immediately grabbed his arm and stared up at him with wide eyes.

"No! Please, don't go!" he exclaimed.

"I have to, Cochise! She did something terrible but I let her down! I should have been there for her more but I did nothing and now look at how she is. I let this happen. I should be the one to bring her back here," the brunet insisted. The blond smiled weakly and nodded in understanding before releasing Josh's arm gently.

"I'm going with you. You'll tell me where she is and I'll make sure you both get back safely," the flamethrower guy informed him. Josh nodded and followed the stranger back towards the front door. He was handed a shotgun and told how to use it briefly.

When they reached the front door, Chris approached Josh. The stranger waited outside the lodge whilst the duo gazed at each other for what felt like eternity. The blond tenderly took one of Josh's hands in his own and stepped closer.

"Come back safe, bro," he murmured.

"I will, Cochise. I promise," Josh replied confidently. They both leaned in closer and the eldest Washington closed his eyes as Chris kissed him gently. It was soft and tender but there were no fireworks like in the cheesy, cliché novels. There was warmth in his chest along with the fluttering of his heart and how right it felt to have Chris' lips against his own. The kiss ended almost as soon as it had started and Josh caressed his cheek before leaving. Chris closed the door behind him and the brunet waved goodbye as he followed the stranger down the steps and towards the shed once more.

As they walked along, Josh and the stranger discussed how to kill a Wendigo. Unfortunately, it turned out that the shotgun wouldn't kill the monster; just slow it down. However, fire worked very effectively to kill them as it would weaken the skin like stripping them of armour. 

Getting closer to the shed, Josh felt a sense of impending dread but he had no other choice. He needed to save Ashley and get her back to the lodge. They'd already lost Matt, they didn't need to lose Ashley too. She'd been grieving heavily this past year and now she was hurt and alone and probably scared to death whilst tied up in the shed.

Or she would have been if she was still there…


	17. 16. Revelation - Part 2

"Oh no… she's gone…" Josh murmured brokenly. He'd failed Ashley again and now there was no chance for him to help her or redeem himself. She was probably dead by now or being killed by the Wendigo all because he wasn't able to help her or give her the support that she needed.

"We gotta go. Right now," the flamethrower guy informed the brunet impatiently as he looked round outside the shed. Josh shook his head stubbornly and went to turn back so he could take another look around.

"We gotta find Ash - she could still be out here somewhere!" he exclaimed in argument. The stranger rolled his eyes as if he'd heard this sort of thing a thousand times then looked him dead in the eye.

First, the Wendigo, he'll render you immobile. And then he strips the skin off of your entire body, piece by piece. And then he keeps you alive and aware and feasts on your organs, one piece at a time," he growled. Josh gulped and rubbed the back of his neck as he resigned himself to the fact that Ashley was probably dead.

"So, the lodge, then," he sighed.

"Let's go now. It might still be near," the flamethrower guy muttered.

The two men stepped out into the snow and Josh found that it had begun to snow again. The white crunched beneath their feet as they walked and he looked around. He remembered playing hide and seek here with Ash, Hannah, Beth and Chris when they were all in high school. Ashley would always win when she was hiding and always found everyone the quickest. It was also the place where he had kissed her for the first time but it had felt incredibly wrong so they'd remained as friends ever since then. That had been around the time that he'd began developing feelings for Chris and all three girls had helped to support him through it. They'd all been there for him when he needed to bitch about Chris after arguments or when he needed a shoulder to cry on when the blond started dating girls seriously. It had made him feel like his best friend would only be that; just his best friend. 

"Don't… move…" the stranger whispered, causing the brunet to come to a stop. He breathed gently as he kept perfectly still in fear of the creature suddenly jumping out at him if he moved. It felt like an eternity before they finally moved again but when they did a loud and angry shriek pierced the tense air. They began to run and Josh screamed in terror when a thin, spindly, grey humanoid creature leapt down in front of them. The flamethrower guy doused it in fire and the brunet watched in fascination. The monster screamed until its body disintegrated and a spirit was released into the air. Suddenly, another Wendigo leapt out from nowhere and Josh watched as the stranger's head was sliced clean off by the creature's claws. The body sagged to the floor whilst the head leaked blood everywhere, staining the snow.

"Oh shit," he cursed as he took a step back. The Wendigo leapt towards him and he automatically shot it in the chest. It flew backwards and he set off at a sprint in the direction of the lodge. He heard it chase after him and sped up as much as he could. The gun was heavy in his hands and he gripped it as tightly as he could. Ducking under a low hanging branch, he turned and shot the Wendigo when it landed on the branch. He didn't dare wait to see if it was still there. He set off again and saw the lights of the lodge up ahead. He jumped over a branch but yelped in pain when he twisted his ankle awkwardly. It was agonising but he kept going as best as he could. Once again, the Wendigo lunged for him and he aimed then pulled the trigger. He limped as quickly as he could back towards the lodge and shot the monster one last time before finally reaching the lodge.

"Chris! Chris, let me in, quick!" he begged as loudly as possible. Relief flowed through him as the blond opened the door and allowed him in.

"Josh, you're safe!" Chris gasped. Josh slammed the door and leaned against it, out of breath.

"Oh my god! That was fucking terrifying, bro!" he panted. He closed the blinds on the windows of the door and dropped the shotgun onto the floor. Firm, familiar arms wrapped around him tightly and he instinctively returned the embrace as he placed a chaste kiss on Chris' lips. He didn't know how, but he'd somehow managed to cheat death once again. Life really wanted to make him its bitch, huh?

Chris eventually pulled away and Josh intertwined their fingers before leading him down to the basement where everyone else was supposed to be waiting. The screech made him shudder and he pulled the blond close to him when he whimpered in fear. He kissed Chris' temple and nuzzled it with his nose as they descended and found everybody else waiting. He couldn't believe he'd actually made it. He was still alive and he still had Chris. He was the only one of his closest friends left now and he was determined never to let him go.

***

Emily opened the caging door to the little safe room in the basement and let Josh and Chris in. She was happy that the brunet was safe but she was also annoyed that they'd taken so long. She'd been worried sick about the eldest Washington and what could have happened to him out there. He could have died and then they would have lost all the Washingtons.

"What took you so long?" Sam questioned as she checked Josh over. They immediately took note of the limp he had and the way that he was so pale and drained. He looked awful…

"It's not so good up there right now," the brunet whispered as Chris hugged him and ran his fingers through the older man's hair.

"Understatement of the night," she commented. She looked around and sighed as she leaned against the desk with papers strewn across it.

"Hey, where's the flamethrower guy?" the blonde enquired. It was obvious what had happened to him but they needed to hear it confirmed. They needed to hear the words for it to sink in.

"Ah… yeah… he uh…" the brunet trailed off with guilt lacing his tone. Emily couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He'd lost his sisters, Ashley, and now he'd had to watch the flamethrower guy die right in front of him. That wasn't going to have a positive effect on his mental health, that was for sure.

"What happened, man"? Mike asked. Josh looked up with a dead, faraway look clouding his green eyes.

"It tore him apart. Right in front of me. It took his head clean off with just its claws."

"Oh god," Sam gasped.

Emily checked that the door was locked and kept an ear out for any Wendigos in case they'd gotten into the lodge. She then walked towards the other door which was wide open and led towards the corridors she'd gone through to get to the lodge from the sanatorium. She didn't want to admit it but she felt that she may have to go back that way in order to find another way out for everybody.

"There's got to be another way out," she murmured. Sam shook her head and approached the brunette. A hand was placed on Emily's shoulder but she didn't look away from the television screens on the wall.

"Em… I really don't think that's a good idea. We should stay put, right here, until dawn. At least we're safe down here-" she tried to reason but the brunette turned on her with challenge and fury in her eyes.

"Oh? Yeah? Sitting here like a free meal for that thing to tear into us on thanksgiving?"

"People will come for us. In the morning," Sam sighed. Emily snorted with a humourless laugh and shook her head. She was getting hysterical but she didn't care. She'd already lost Matt tonight and probably Jess as well as Ashley. She wasn't going to just sit here and let those bastards kill anyone else in the group.

"You don't sound so sure," she challenged. The blonde blinked a couple of times and stammered slightly before speaking up.

"That's what'll happen. Right Mike?" she said, turning to Mike. The brunet bit his lip and nodded his head.

"Well you can wait. I'm leaving," she insisted. Mike reminded her that there was no key for the cable car and her first thought was that Ashley would have it. Unfortunately, that would mean that she'd need to go down to the mines if that was where the Wendigo had taken the redhead. She and Mike discussed about the mines being where the Wendigo probably lived and they both found a map that outlined paths that led from the lodge to the sanatorium and then from the sanatorium to the mines. They sorted through the flamethrower guy's bag with Sam and found a small handbook with notes about the monsters contained inside. She handed it to Chris who flicked through the pages before closing it and holding it against his hip. Josh stayed quiet throughout the sorting.

The four of them inspected the map closely as they tried to find a quick, and hopefully safe, way for Emily to get to the mines. It turned out that the only way was for her to go through the sanatorium. She went into great detail about the mines being dangerous and practically a death trap but it was the only way they were going to get the key to the cable car off Ashley. They would have hiked their way down the mountain if Josh wasn't in the condition he was and even then Chris would have protested profusely about heading down without proper mountaineering equipment. This was the only way they were going to get down safely and Emily was prepared to risk her life to ensure that her friends could get down relatively unharmed. And if she died? At least she'd be with Matt and she'd die protecting those she cared about. Her friends were like family to her and she'd been raised with the value of protecting family until the end.

"Mike…" Chris whispered for the first time since they'd come down to the basement, "what… what's that?"

Emily frowned as she and Mike took a step back, trying to see what the blond was on about. He looked fear stricken and was staring at the brunet's shoulder. She took a closer look and finally noticed what he meant. The shoulder of the jacket looked like it had been torn off along with the cloth of the shirt and a very visible bite mark that didn't belong to a human was there. It looked pink and slightly swollen with dried blood gathered in parts of the wound.

"Hey, it's nothing. I just - it bit me and-" the class president began to explain until Chris snapped.

"It bit you? What fucking bit you?" he hissed. His eyes were narrowed suspiciously, pointing an accusatory finger at the older male. Honestly, Emily was surprised that he hadn't snapped before. This must have been a result of everything just building and building until it all became too much for him to handle what with the prank and the Wendigos. If this was how he was reacting, she couldn't imagine how Josh must have been feeling seeing as he was the victim in all of this.

"The ah… the Wendigo bit me," Mike sighed reluctantly. The brunette snapped her eyes up to survey his face and she saw his anxiety. He was such an open book sometimes.

"What?" she asked. He started panicking, licking his lips and fidgeting.

"It's nothing, really, it's no big deal-"

"No big deal? No big deal?! You got bit by a fucking Wendigo! If that's not a big deal I don't know what is!" Chris exclaimed incredulously. Sam inspected Mike's wound as if she wasn't listening to the conversation and her brows knit together in concentration.

"It looks like it could be infected. You okay?" she informed Mike. The brunet nodded and put on a brave face for everyone. Emily saw right through it, though.

"It doesn't hurt anymore. Really, it's not that bad," he explained in a reassuring tone. The brunette's face hardened as she made a decision. Those things had gotten to Matt and she wasn't going to let that happen in here too. She'd had enough of people dying tonight but she'd be willing to let one more die if that meant keeping everybody else safe from the monsters in the mines.

"If that thing bit you…" she murmured but he shook his head in protest.

"I know what you're thinking, but I'm fine. Honestly!" he tried. She didn't believe him though. For all they knew, the change could have been occurring in him right at that very minute. He could slowly be turning into one of those things and then it would be too late to save anybody because he'd be tearing into them emotionlessly.

"If the Wendigo bit you… you could turn into one of those things," she growled threateningly. Sam disagreed loudly but Emily was relieved that there was someone else that agreed when Chris spoke up.

"He said it was from EATING each other - remember, he said that!"

"Wait is that how it worked?" Sam questioned, unsure of herself. Chris nodded and crossed his arms firmly. His expression was hard and cold and nothing like the person he was before tonight. He looked completely uncaring towards Mike and Emily could tell that it was making Josh feel uneasy now.

"It happens if it bit you. You're going to turn into one and then you're gonna turn on us," he spoke evenly. The blond took Josh's hand in his, the eldest Washington letting out an almost inaudible whimper in pain as his hand was squeezed by the younger male.

"Michael. You need to go. You can't be in here with us," Emily informed the class president. He looked at her with wide, irritated eyes.

"What? Why the hell not?!" he yelled angrily. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You gotta go," she insisted. Mike stepped towards her menacingly and she gripped the gun tighter in case she'd need it for self defence.

"You're putting us ALL in danger! You can't stay here. Now you either go or I'll shoot you myself," she spat, aiming the gun at him.Silence fell and movement ceased. Nobody dared to speak or move a muscle as Mike and Emily stared each other down. The brunette's hand was shaking ever so slightly as she pointed it at him and the only thoughts going through her head were that she needed to protect her family from the incoming threat. Michael was a threat to everyone's survival at this point and he needed to go. If that meant killing him in cold blood then so be it.

"I've seen what those fuckers can do," Josh whispered, "I don't want to see it again." Out of the corner of her eye, Emily saw Chris hug him as the older male cried silently against him. In the space of one year, he'd been through and seen so much. He'd experienced so much horror and loss. Would shooting Mike result in him breaking completely?

"Just get the fuck out, Mike. Now!" Chris shouted impatiently. Josh gripped him tighter and whimpered. The blond kissed the top of his head and gently rubbed his back in order to soothe him whilst murmuring something into his ear that only the two men could hear.

"Please… Emily, please don't kill me! I'm begging you, please!" Mike sobbed when the sound of the safety being taken off echoed through the room. He curled in on himself as he sat on the table and hugged his knees to his chest. He was shaking like a leaf but the brunette didn't put down the gun yet. He hid his face and began to sob quietly. As much as Emily wanted to, she just couldn't do it. She just couldn't pull the trigger on him despite the fact that he posed a threat to everybody.

The brunette threw the gun down on the table by the exit and stormed off. She ran her hands through her hair and only stopped to tell the others that she was off to the mines to get the key back off Ashley. Nobody asked her to stay but nobody told her to keep going either so she just took it upon herself to continue on her way.

***

Chris sat himself down with the book and started to read through it. He allowed the task to envelop him as he read through each page thoroughly and concisely. He learned more and more about the Wendigos as he went along and grimaced when he read that the monsters could mimic its prey because it used to be a human. The thought that they could imitate Josh to lure him to his death made him feel sick but he had to keep on reading. He had to find out more. However, he stopped when he reached the end of the page he was on.

"Oh no… no-no-no…" he whispered. He put the book down and Sam approached him cautiously.

"What is it?" she questioned. He bit his lip and shook his head.

"Oh god, no…" he murmured. Guilt settled in his stomach as well as regret. He couldn't believe he'd acted so stupidly just now. Yes, he'd been thinking of protecting Josh, but what he'd almost let Emily do made him feel disgusted and ashamed of himself.

"What is it? What does it say, Chris?" the blonde enquired. He hesitated before finally deciding that he needed to be honest. He couldn't keep this secret when it was something everyone needed to know about just in case it happened to them.

"It says that the bite… it's not infectious," he whispered loud enough for Mike to hear him.

"Excuse me?" the brunet sneered. Chris gulped before turning and getting up, putting on the bravest smile that he could.

"You… you're okay! The bite won't turn you!" he laughed awkwardly but Mike wasn't amused. He wasn't even close to smiling or happy. Instead, he tackled Chris with an angry yell and they both went to the floor as they started to fight. The blond felt a fist smash into the bridge of his nose and cried out in pain as blood spurted out of his nostrils. He tried to push the male off him but to no avail.

"Stop it! Mike, stop!" Josh begged as he pulled the younger brunet off of Chris. The latter felt himself being helped up by the eldest Washington and flinched when gentle fingers pressed lightly against his nose.

"Come on, we need to get to Emily," Sam encouraged. Everyone agreed and followed their new leader through the same door that Emily had gone through.


	18. 17. Despair - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit shorter again oops /.\ 
> 
> Also, I'm considering maybe doing a sequel to this fic when it's finished but maybe more focused around Chris and Josh? The other characters will still be in it but not as much. Anyways, enjoy!

Emily entered silently through the door to the sanatorium. She locked it behind her, shining the flashlight so that she could see before making her way through the familiar corridor of debris and ruins. She ascended up the stairs that she'd gone down earlier and looked around. It felt colder in here before, if that was even possible, and she listened to her steps echoing through the room. She also kept an ear out in case she heard any Wendigos approaching, leaving her on edge and paranoid. The large chapel room looked… different. Bigger than before. She realised that some of the walls had been knocked down since she was last hear a few hours ago and the thought sent an uneasy tingle down her spine. She didn't realise that the Wendigo could be so strong. And Josh had seen this monstrosity in person… he'd seen it snatch away the life of an innocent man. The brunette certainly didn't envy him right now.

Heading up another set of stairs, she looked around. The walls were decaying worse than before and she had to be careful not to fall through any large holes. She tried to look for a way to get into the caged rooms below and found a big enough hole to get through where she wouldn't get stuck or injured as the floor was close enough for her to drop down and not break her legs. From her vantage point up above, she could see that there was a gun of some sort in there and ammo. So, naturally, she dropped down through the hole. She found herself in the room that was closest to where she'd come into the chapel and gave her surroundings a once-over. There was nothing in here that she hadn't already seen before so she grabbed the torch on the table and lit it with a lighter then attached the gun to her belt and made sure she had plenty of ammo in case she came across any Wendigos.

"Good enough, I guess," she murmured. She then left through the fence-like door and started to search around for anything she'd missed before. There was nothing to be found, unfortunately, so she headed over to one of the padlocked doors. She didn't have the luxury of looking for keys so she used the gun to shoot off the padlock and kick open the door. She cringed at the eardrum-piercing gunshot but made her way through the corridors at a slow and steady pace. She heard a low growling and prepared herself to attack but relaxed when she saw it was the wolf from earlier. It trotted over to her and nuzzled her leg which encouraged her to smile weakly, crouching down to pet it.

"Hey there big guy. You gonna help me through here to the mines?" she asked in a soft voice. The animal seemed to understand her and leaned into her stroking. She stood up, tucking the gun into her belt. "Well, I've briefly memorised the map to this place so we're not flying completely blind. Think you can help me out, bud?"

The wolf yapped at her and she chuckled before getting it to lead the way for her. She followed it and the two walked in harmony towards the fencing that ran outside from one section of the sanatorium to the other. It was eerily dark out here but a little brighter than before which signalled that the sun would be rising soon. As she allowed the wolf to guide the way she started thinking about what she'd almost done back at the lodge. She couldn't believe she'd even considered shooting Mike! Yes, he was annoying and irritating and he'd been bitten by the Wendigo but that didn't give her any reason to do what she did or treat him the way that she did. It was a wonder that Matt had ever wanted to date her in the first place. She was cold and selfish and she'd been willing to kill a friend because of something she wasn't even sure about. What the hell kind of person was she?

***

"C'mon, Ash! We're gonna be late!" Josh called from outside. Ashley giggled as she glanced out of the window to see Josh in the front of his pickup truck, Chris in the seat beside him and the twins in the back. She sighed and rolled her eyes before slinging her bag over her back and running down the stairs. The redhead bid her mom goodbye before jumping into the back of Josh's truck between the twins.

"So, are we ready for the best summer vacation of our lives?" Chris smirked as he leaned over to look into the back seats. Ash put her seatbelt on and felt Beth put an arm around her shoulders in a sisterly fashion.

"Uh, duh! How can I not be ready? A chance to go up to the lodge for a couple of weeks without any parents is to good to pass up," Ashley smiled. The blond high-fived her before turning back around as Josh drove off towards Mount Washington.

"Alright, kids, behave on this little road trip. We have a few of hours of driving to get to Blackwood so try not to make me crash, okay?" Josh said. Hannah laughed and pushed her glasses up her nose, a habit that both she and Chris shared. The sun shone through the windows and cast a warm glow over everyone.

"Oh my god, Josh, pull over! This is the perfect lighting for a selfie!" the blond exclaimed. Josh pulled up and everyone got into position before Chris snapped the selfie and posted it on instagram.

***

She was getting really tired now but she had to keep going. Emily descended down some stairs and followed the wolf towards the cells but froze up when the stench of guts and rotting flesh reached her nose. She gagged and swallowed back vomit at the sight of a black wolf strung up against a cage, the internal organs missing and the head hanging off. The Wendigo must have gotten to it. The brunette watched the live wolf go down the corridor to the right so she followed it and found herself in unfamiliar territory. She could have sworn she saw something pale crawling up a wall through the cages but she put it down to her nerves getting the best of her. She was just imagining that there was some sort of monster there. The truth was that she didn't even know what these monsters were meant to look like. Honestly, she didn't care for what they looked like either. She just knew that she didn't want to run into one down here.

"Huh?" she hummed questioningly when she entered a large, circular-ish room. The sound of a can being knocked made Emily jump and she watched it with trepidation. There was an uncomfortable moment of silence until a rat appeared from behind the can and scurried away. Relieved, she shook her head and chuckled. She was too paranoid. She needed to just loosen up and-

A Wendigo shrieked loudly in her face as she turned. She was face to face with one of those monsters and the sight was one she immediately wanted to erase from her mind forever. It was fucking horrifying! Disgusting! She shot it as it leapt for her then ran towards the stairs, the wolf following her. Unfortunately, the Wendigo was following too and she found herself trying to figure out whether to turn left or run straight ahead. The floor vibrating as the monster landed on its feet pretty much motivated her to just run straight ahead. She sped into another room and locked the cage-like gate behind her then wasted no time in walking away. When the flame on the torch went out she cursed and threw the piece of wood on the floor. It was so typical that the one way of seeing that would actually protect her would just blow out like that. She took it as an omen that her life was going to be snuffed out just as easily by these creatures if she didn't get a move on and get out of there. She saw that she was at a dead end and sighed as she turned back towards the gate. Great. So she was going to have to see that ugly fucking thing again. She was glad that it was gone for now but who knew when it'd be back to try and munch on her for dinner? The brunette took a silent step through the now open gate and cringed at the sound of faraway screeches.

"Oh fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!" she hissed when the Wendigo appeared again down the corridor. It lunged for her and she shot at it angrily. She thought for a moment when it stayed down that she'd killed it and put the gun away but immediately regretted it when it jumped back up and sprung at her, tackling her to the ground.

***

Pain was all that Matt could feel as he woke up. His back. His knees. His neck. His arms. Even his knuckles. Everything from head to toe was in pain and he wasn't even sure how he was alive. What the hell was going on here? What was this place? He couldn't even open his eyes without putting in some effort. The linebacker attempted to lift his head but whimpered in agony.

"Oh… shit!" he groaned quietly. He tried to sit up and almost celebrated when he succeeded. Baby steps, he told himself, baby steps. His eyesight was slightly blurred and dimmed but he was still able to see so he wasn't going to complain. He was just thankful that he was even alive in the first place. His eyes darted around as he checked out the area and he finally stood up. A cry left his cut and bruised lips when his ribs dug into him. He knew from biology that his ribs were clearly broken and that, if he wasn't careful, he could end up puncturing a lung and drowning in his own blood.

A green shape to his left held his attention and he limped over slowly before feeling it tenderly with his sore fingertips. The texture of whatever he'd grabbed allowed him to narrow it down so that he could sense it was a coat. Matt slipped it on and felt repulsed by how scratchy it was but it provided a little bit of warmth which made him feel a little better. Not much but a little. His head was swimming and he had to lean against a wall as he pulled on what looked like boots. They were a little too big for him but they stopped his feet hurting so much and they protected them from getting frostbitten. He hadn't checked to see if he had frostbite but he figured that his fingers and toes would have fallen off by now if he did.

The screech… he whimpered and almost jumped out of his skin at the sound. He remembered hearing it before blacking out. He remembered the feeling of claws in his scalp and the tough, ice cold skin that had dragged him here. He remembered the feeling of elation when Emily came for him and the devastation and fear when the elevator had suddenly dropped. He didn't remember much after blacking out. If he'd woken up at any point then it was a mystery to him. No… there was something else he remembered. Something he remembered about the monster. There was a certain familiarity about it. Something in the way it held itself. There was something around its wrist that he distinctly remembered seeing on someone elses wrist once but who? Who was it? Who did it belong to?

***

Chris followed behind Mike and Sam through the tunnels, Josh somewhere behind him. He walked slowly so that his best friend wouldn't get left behind but it was slowing the other two down and it was obvious that Sam wasn't happy about it. She turned to them impatiently and tried to urge them onwards.

"Come on guys! Hurry up! We gotta find Emily," she encouraged them as she waved her arm for them to just hurry. She and Mike began walking again until Josh cried out from the back of the group. Chris spun round in a panic and found him leaning heavily against the wall. He looked an absolute mess and the blond feared that he might not make it through the rest of the night at this rate.

"Hey… I'm kinda gimping out here, guys," he choked out through gritted teeth. Chris rushed over to him and rooted through the backpack that was still on his back. "I think maybe you should go on without me," the brunet continued and Chris cursed when he couldn't find any painkillers. He turned the eldest Washington's head by the chin to give him a stern stare.

"Joshua Washington, we are not leaving you. We're sticking together. Emily will just have to wait," he insisted with a firm tone of voice. Josh gave him a soft smile and followed the blond as he tried to catch up with the other two members of their group. Josh's limp had gotten slightly better but not by much. He remembered the first time Josh had broken his leg.

It had been back in high school when it had happened. Gym class, actually (or climbing class as Chris liked to call it). It was when they'd had to climb the ropes and do all that gymnastic stuff or whatever it was you were supposed to do up the top of the ropes. Josh had been trying to show off and prove that he could get to the very top but, in his haste to prove himself, he'd fallen off and landed awkwardly on his leg. Chris remembered the piercing cry that had come from his best friend, leg bent at an alarming ankle. Man, that had really messed up his ankle. The brunet had been on crutches for a long time after that and he'd had to wear a cast for even longer. It had pretty much put an end to Josh's American football days so, instead, he'd taken an interest in his dad's line of work. Since then, the brunet had wanted to be a big film producer like his father. He wanted to make people scream in terror and puke in disgust at his horror films and weep and sob at his tragedies. He wanted to become the best film producer in he business and the blond was going to stand by him all the way.

"Hey, Cochise?" Josh asked. Chris turned to him curiously and gave him a small smile.

"Yeah? What's up?" he hummed. The eldest Washington pressed his lips against the blond's briefly then hugged him tightly.

"I just wanted to do that in case we have to split up. I… really, really care about you," Josh replied. Chris cupped his cheek and bumped their noses together.

"I really, really care about you too," he murmured. The brunet smirked and slapped his back.

"We're being kinda gay, bro," he giggled. The blond smacked his arm and they both chuckled before continuing on through the tunnels.

Chris knew that it was very possible they were both going to die up here. Protecting Josh was priority number one but he had the unsettling feeling that he was going to fail. He'd failed to see that Ashley was unwell, after all, so who knows what else he was going to miss? His fear of losing Josh was going to be his downfall at some point but he'd rather it be him than the brunet. It would suck to die now but at least his best friend would be okay.

***

"Hey, what do you guys wanna do after we leave high school?" Josh asked as the five of them all sat in a circle. Ashley shrugged as she drank a swig of beer from the bottle before passing it to Chris.

"I think I'll probably study medicine in college and become a doctor," Hannah answered her older brother's question. Ashley liked the sound of one of her best friends being a doctor. It sounded perfect to her.

"I'm studying advanced technological sciences. Gotta work hard if I want my own business in computing and app production," the blond piped up and passed the bottle to Beth. The girl in question had a small sip then gave the bottle to Josh.

"I think I might study the arts," she said. Ashley rubbed the back of her neck as she tried to think of something. In the meantime, Josh spoke up.

"I'm gonna study psychology so I can better understand the way fear works. That way, I'll be able to make better horror movies. What about you, Ash?" All eyes turned to the redhead and she blushed shyly before speaking up.

"Acting, maybe. I'm not too sure," she mumbled.

If only she had a future now…


	19. 18. Despair - Part 2

"Oh shit. Emily must have locked it behind her. CRAP! There's gotta be another way in," Sam hissed in frustration as she tried and failed to open the big, metal doors. Chris glanced around whilst Josh leaned against a wall. The blond furrowed his brows and he found a manhole cover and a pole. Unfortunately, this was the only the only visible way he could see to get to the sanatorium so it was either go this way and find Emily or turn back and risk letting her get killed. He didn't want anyone else's death on Josh's mind so he picked up the pole and used it to open up the manhole cover. It slid off effortlessly and he placed the pole on the floor beside the cover.

"Okay. So, uh… what's the plan, Sam?" the blond asked. Sam rubbed the back of her neck.

"We'll go down here and find a way to Emily through here. Hopefully, we can get to her before the Wendigos do," she responded. Chris nodded and looked around. Everyone seemed to be very reluctant to go down there and, honestly, he couldn't blame them. It was pitch black and there could be any number of Wendigo waiting for them down there.

"Who's going first?" Mike questioned. Nobody spoke up and he rolled his eyes but didn't offer to be the first one down either. Eventually, Sam stepped towards the manhole before gently easing herself down the ladder.

"It's not so bad. You think this is the tunnel to the sanatorium?" she enquired as she descended down further. Just the smell emanating from down there was making Chris feel queasy. He felt his fight or flight instinct kick in but restrained himself from turning back. Turning back now would mean abandoning Josh and he was never going to do that to the brunet. He'd have to be completely mental to leave behind someone so important to him like that.

"Well, we'd better hope so. It's the only way we have of getting in there," Josh sighed. Chris rubbed his best friends back and they both stood back as they watched Sam jumping from the last rung to the floor. The blonde looked around anxiously then gestured for the others to go down. Mike barged past the duo and hastily made his way down the ladder without a word. He was obviously still upset over the whole shooting thing but it wasn't Chris' fault. He wasn't the one who pointed the gun. He wasn't the one who'd almost killed him. It was Emily the class president was mad at, not him.

Josh was the next to go. Chris helped him onto the ladder and kept a close eye on him as he slowly made his way down. He let out grunts of pain as he went, clearly in discomfort, but didn't fall or wobble which put the blond at ease slightly. He was getting stronger and stronger by the minute which was what really mattered here. It was easy for Chris to join everyone and he made sure to replace the manhole cover before jumping to the ground but he found that nobody was waiting for him. He didn't get mad, though. They were in a rush to find Emily and get her back to the lodge safely. He would have told them to keep going without him if they'd been waiting for him anyway so he wasn't going to hold a meaningless grudge against them. He was just thankful he had a flashlight with him otherwise he would have been completely screwed.

"Okay then, Christopher," he murmured to himself, "let's get moving." He set off at a brisk pace to try and catch up with everyone and caught himself thinking about Josh again. It was weird how he and his family owned this place yet they had no idea about the tunnels that lead to the sanatorium and mine. They'd spent so many years here, not suspecting what was waiting to be discovered. They could have found an amazing place that would inspire the best horror movies but, at the same time, they'd be confronted with the Wendigo threat. Would it have been worth it?

The muddy ground beneath Chris' feet made soft squelching sounds as he walked. He enjoyed the sound but it also reminded him constantly of the squelching of organs when disembowelling a corps. He kept walking on his way but froze when he heard gentle crying and sobs. Was there someone else from their group down here and waiting for them? He sped up his walking until he got to where the path branched off into two and he listened out.

"Help me!" the voice exclaimed and Chris immediately recognised it as Matt's. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Matt was… alive? But Emily had said that he was dead! How could he be here when she'd told everyone that he'd died in the mines earlier that night. Unless… weren't Wendigo supposed to be able to imitate their prey? This must have been a Wendigo trying to lure him in. Well, it wasn't going to work. He wasn't fucking dumb so he wasn't going to go and investigate the voice of his dead friend.

"I'm sorry. If it's you Matt… I'm really sorry," he apologised quickly before carrying on in search of Josh and the others. He was worried that a Wendigo was going to jump out at him and kill him right on the spot but he stayed strong and lowered himself off a ledge. There was no going back now even if he wanted to. He'd need a leg up to try and get back up there so the only way to go was forward.

The blond caught sight of the other three waiting up ahead and ran over to them. He was instantly pulled into a hug by Sam and he was relieved that everyone was okay. No Wendigos had gotten to them yet. They were all going to be alright. Telling himself that everything was fine seemed to be working out for him so he decided to keep that mindset no matter what.

"Thank god you're safe," the blonde murmured. Chris smiled and gasped when he felt a stronger pair of arms grasp him around the waist and a warm face bury itself in his neck. Instinctively, he hugged Josh back and ruffled his hair to try and calm his nerves a little. Even now, with Emily's life at stake, Chris still wanted to be able to comfort Josh like he usually would. He wanted to pretend that this was normal and that nobody had died tonight. He was going to be optimistic and tough and strong for the brunet as well as for everybody else. He was going to be the one to protect them all this time around rather than just hiding back in the shadows and not getting involved.

Entering a cavern, Chris noticed that they'd come to a dead end. Half of a ladder was rusting on the ground whilst the other half was fixed high up the rock face. He groaned quietly, Josh sagging beside him. Mike snorted as he glared up at the rocks but Sam seemed to be formulating a plan. The blond could practically see the clogs turning inside her head and he felt hope being restored once more. How was she able to do that? How did she manage to emanate positivity so easily?

"Great. We're never going to make it up there. Any bright ideas, Debbie Downer?" the younger brunet commented snidely. Sam merely rolled her eyes at him and pulled her sleeves up a bit, rubbing her hands and focusing on the ladder. Wait, she wasn't going to try and climb the rocks, was she?

"I can make it up there. It's like… a rock wall," she argued and approached the wall. Mike looked at her as if she were crazy but he didn't spout a word. He tried to act tough but Chris knew he could take him. Knew he could take him down at any time he wanted to because he was just Mike; all on his own with nobody to buy him out. There were plenty of jerks around like him and they were all the same. Yeah, so they did heroic things. So what? People did heroic things everyday.

"You keep going. We'll head back to the lodge whilst you get Emily," Chris instructed. He received a dirty look from Mike but he was past caring about him by now. If he was going to be a jerk then fine. It was his own problem if he couldn't handle not being the one in charge.

"Good luck, Sammy. Come back safe, okay?" Josh called to Sam as she started to climb up the rocks. She gave a brief wave back to show that she was paying attention and the final three eventually turned back to return to the lodge.

***

Sam listened to the guys leaving and tightened her grip on the rocks. She was exhausted and completely drained but she was running on adrenalin now so, hopefully, that would be enough to get to Emily in time. She believed that she'd be able to get everyone out of here before dawn. Well, everyone that she knew was still alive. There had been no sign of Jess or Matt for hours now but she didn't want to think that they were dead regardless of what anyone else said. If it turned out they were actually dead, then she'd grieve later. For now, though, she needed to bring Emily back to the lodge and make sure nobody went anywhere until sunrise.

"Unh… come on…" she grunted as she climbed. The rocks were slightly slippy due to the icy conditions. But she wasn't going to let that stop her now. She'd climbed up rock faces and climbing walls before and she did it a lot in her spare time as a hobby. She even taught kids how to climb up the small rock walls at local youth groups back at home. She'd been doing this all her life so she was confident in her skills as a climber.

Once at the top, Sam grinned to herself despite the situation she was in. She looked around for a way out and found that there was a small mineshaft that would take her down to the next ledge. It was the only option other than going back (there was no way she was going to go back now) so she jumped down and bent her knees as she landed. The mines were getting darker as she went so she turned on the little head torch that was attached to a band on her head. It improved her vision a little but not as much as she'd hoped. She just continued on anyway through the puddles of goodness knows what and the moss that somehow grew in here. A shriek reached her ears but she didn't flinch or shrink back. That would waste time and she didn't want to do anything that could result in her not getting to Emily in time. What if she was attacked by a Wendigo because Sam was being too careful? The blonde wouldn't live with herself if that happened. No, she was going to just go for it and take all the risks necessary to get Emily away from the sanatorium and away from the mines.

Just as Sam rounded a corner, a strange, orange see through shape flew through her with a screech. She jumped in surprise, not knowing what to think, but only paused momentarily before plodding on. Her mantra of 'keep going, don't look back' was repeating itself over and over in her head as she walked past the wooden boards that set up a wall between her and whatever was on the other side. She came to a gate door and used a shovel to break it open before approaching a large metal door. It opened with a loud creak and she left the mines. It felt weird to be outside in the open again but it felt good too. The cool, fresh air against her flushed skin felt amazing and she breathed in fresh air as she headed towards the sanatorium. The blonde was surprised that it was so close to where she'd just come from but she took it as a good sign. She took it as a sign that meant she was going to find her friend in time and save her from whatever the hell was in that death trap.Hello? she called as she looked through the metal fencing. She was met with silence so she moved away and continued walking around the wall. She trekked through pristine white snow and past large pipes and barrels. She glanced around for other ways in and listened out for anything that could jump out to attack her.

Sam hadn't really taken much time since Ashley revealed her plan to think about the aforementioned redhead. For so long, Sam had thought that her friend was getting better. She thought that she'd helped her over the past year. Hadn't the time they'd spent together meant anything to Ashley? It had meant something to Sam. Theyd become so close, almost inseparable, and she was the sort of girl that the blonde wouldn't have been opposed to one day taking home and introducing to her parents as more than a friend. They were new, strange feelings that came and passed form time to time so she never acted on them. Especially as the redhead was straight. Josh had viewed her as being like a third sister so, naturally, he'd already given Sam the big bro talk. He was so protective of her and loved her to pieces but after tonight… what was going to happen now? What were they going to do now that Ashley had turned her back on everyone like this?

Finally, the blonde got to another gate. She prised it open with the shovel and marched right up to the door. A Wendigo leapt at a window as she passed it and she nearly screamed. Nearly, but not quite. However, it did freak her out a little. She burst through the door as quickly as she could whilst the sounds of fighting reached her ears. She spotted Emily wrestling with a Wendigo on top of her on the floor and the fear on the brunette's face was enough to tell her that her friend was losing.Emily! she exclaimed as she sprinted forwards. The Wendigo looked up at her and looked like it was about to attack again so she hit it as hard as she could with the shovel until it backed off. Emily jumped up and they both ran for the door. The brunette shot at one of the barrels and it exploded as soon as the bullet made contact. The two girls were sent flying by the force of the explosion and they landed in the ice cold snow. Another see through orange shape screeched as it flew past them and Sam sighed. At least neither of them were dead.

***

Mike watched with a slight air of sadness as Chris and Josh cuddled up to each other in the corner. They were both whispering to each other and sharing secretive smiles but he knew that they were both frightened to death. Hell, they could all die in here tonight. This could be the last night that everyone spent living and what had he done? He'd tried to beat Chris up for protecting the eldest Washington. What sort of friend did that make him if he was trying to beat the shit out of someone for thinking of the wellbeing of someone so important to them. If he'd been in Chris' position and Jess' life was at stake, he knew he would have done the same thing as the blond. He'd done his fair share of shitty things in his time but this? This was one of the worst.  
"Im sorry, he spoke up, you know, for earlier. Chris glanced over at him and shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

"You were upset. I would be too if one of you put a gun in my face and tried to kill me. Hell, it could have happened at any point tonight," he replied. Mike shook his head as he ran a hand through his hair.

"That's no excuse. I shouldnt have attacked you like that, he insisted. Chris just sighed and waved it off in dismissal. Josh, however looked up at him with sympathy.

"If it's any consolation, I probably would have reacted worse than you did. Don't beat yourself up over it, man. Mike smiled gratefully and took the opportunity to sit with them in their corner. Chris put an arm around him and the three of them huddled together for warmth. It wasn't the same as being held by Jess or even having Jess near him but it was enough to comfort him for the time being. If this was his last night alive and he couldn't be with Jess, then maybe he could settle for being with Josh and Chris. Maybe he could settle for being held in the corner of a basement by a guy that he'd tried to beat up not so long ago. It wasn't much but maybe that was alright. Who wanted long goodbyes and tearful farewells? Who wanted to think about nothing but death until they died in their lovers arms?

"I miss my sisters," Josh whispered. Mike listened as the older brunet began to sob quietly whilst Chris comforted him with soothing words and hushed lullabies. He'd never really pictured the blond as the type of guy to sing to people to comfort them but it seemed to work after a few minutes because the eldest 

Washington dosed off against him.If this was the end, then Mike wasn't going to complain.


	20. 19. Resolution - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only a couple more chapters left guys! I'm gonna try and get an epilogue in too so there'll be maybe two more chapters after this one? Idk

Ashley rocked back and forth, clutching her head in pain. It was all too loud. The popping of his lips as he leaned forward in his seat and rested his chin upon his hands was like banging in her mind. Constant, throbbing banging. She tried to blot him out but he just wouldn't go the fuck away. He'd been doing this on and off all night and the redhead had just about managed to ignore it until now.

"I wonder how much these sessions are of any help to you now," Dr Hill sighed as he got up from his seat. He approached Ashley before crouching down so that he was beside her. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone? Why wouldn't he just go and let her continue to live in isolation? As much as the fear of loneliness engulfed her, she wanted more than anything for him to leave her alone now.

"Shut up," Ashley whispered but, as usual, he didn't listen. He never really listened to her; just pretended. He didn't care about her. Nobody cared. Nobody had come to find her after Emily left her in the shed. Nobody tried to bring her back or fought to keep her in the lodge.

"You just won't listen to me," Hill continued, "and things seem pretty… fucked up. So - I'm going to leave you now, Ashley. It's time you learned there is more to be afraid of than can be dreamt up by the unhinged imagination of a self-indulgent, spoiled little brat…"

The redhead shook and whimpered when her hallucination raised his voice at the end of his statement. She was finally being left alone. She wouldn't have to listen to him anymore or be ignored by him because he wouldn't be here. He'd go away, maybe forever, and perhaps she could try and get back to the surface. She had no idea where she was but she had a rough idea that she was in a mine. She knew that there were mines around here so it made a little bit of sense to her that that was where she was.

"Go," she ordered but, once again, he didn't do as she told him to.

"You had so many people who cared about you-"

"Lies."

"-Who were willing to help…"

"You're wrong."

"At every turn you chose to push them away… and now you're all alone."

"STOP!" Ashley was almost in tears now as Dr Hill's voice echoed in her head. A low hiss came from behind and she whimpered, a quiet sob escaping her chapped and bleeding lips.

"By the sounds of things you won't be alone for long," the doctor chuckled and she listened to him walking away before his footsteps faded completely and he was gone. She thought that she'd be relieved but she wasn't. She was more afraid now than before because that meant that Hannah and Beth would be here soon. They were going to be so, so mad at her for not fulfilling the plan. She was supposed to end it all after the prank but, instead, she'd gotten herself kidnapped and dragged into the mines. She didn't have the pills she was planning to overdose on anymore and she couldn't see anywhere that she could hang herself.

Ashley backed up against a wall when the singing began. She knew straight away that it was the twins. They sang to torment her sometimes. It was always Frere Jacques. It was always that song. They would sing it over and over until it overwhelmed her and then they'd laugh at her. It was always her punishment when she deviated from their plans. She hated this punishment so much because of how realistic it sounded.

"No… no-no-no, please," she begged in a voice no louder than a faint whisper. She shook her head, hands pressed against the wall, before she got up. The singing finished and the twins started to giggle. She yelled at them to stay away from her and spun round in circles as she tried to search for them. She shouted and screamed that they were dead and that they couldn't hurt her but she couldn't convince herself or her hallucinations of that. Of course they could hurt her. Maybe not physically but mentally. They could screw her over mentally over and over but it would hurt the same amount every time. Their voices mocked her, teased her, and mingled with those of Dr Hill's and her distorted voice from when she was parading around as a fake psychopath. Josh's and Sam's voices soon came into the mix and she felt tears run down her face. She slammed her fists against her head but it didn't dull or stop the voices. It never did.

"I don't take orders from you… I can't be controlled by you anymore…" she whimpered. Chris' voice joined in this time and she bit her lip hard. The psychotic laugh she used to practice through the voice distorter became faint background noise. "Okay… I… okay, I trust you… I trust you…" she gave in. The voices stopped momentarily and the silence was absolute bliss to her.

The dim light of the cave made Ashley's surroundings look claustrophobic and small but she was aware that the expanse of the shaft she was in was much bigger than how it appeared. She was afraid to step into the darkness but she had to in order to leave. She wanted to go back to the surface and find her friends (if she could call them that anymore) so she could tell them how sorry she was. The redhead wanted to redeem herself and prove to everyone that she could go back to being the Ashley they loved.

"Where are you going, Ash?" hallucination-Hannah asked in a low, demonic voice as she stepped out of the dark. The redhead closed her eyes and shook her head, turning her back on her. She went in the opposite direction but froze in fear when hallucination-Beth appeared.

"We were all alone down here. But you're with us now. You're here to stay. We're family."

"No! Get away! Get away from me… get away!!" Ashley screamed and the two converged on her, backing her up and trying to corner her.

"Why didn't you save us? Why did you want us to die?" Hannah snarled.

"No… I d-didn't want you to die. I swear!! I'm so, so sorry!" she sobbed and cried but they didn't care. They showed her no sympathy or mercy as she turned to run away. She was stopped in her tracks by the disgusting, pulsating mess of puss and boils on the wall. A machete broke through one of them and sliced upwards to reveal a large pig's head. She clenched a fist and punched the pig's head but it just fell off the wall and onto the ground where it disintegrated into intestines and guts. Blood and mucus oozed everywhere as Hannah and Beth rose from the mess. Beth reached up and tore her face off from the scalp downwards.

"Is this what you want?" she asked and took a step forwards through the offal.

"NO! NO! Why are you doing this?! Leave me alone!! Why are you doing this?!" she yelled at the top of her lungs and swung her arms out to keep the twins away from her.

Movement from one of the boils at the top of the wall caught Ashley's attention and she glanced up as it seemed to bulge and move. A head with grey, taught skin, milky white eyes, and razor sharp teeth covered in blood forced its way out of the boil and the redhead screamed in terror.

***

Sam and Emily walked carefully through the mines together, the brunette holding the torch and the blonde wearing the headlight. A comfortable silence had settled between them but Sam had something she wanted to say. She felt like she needed to say something to somebody.

"Kinda hard to believe that thing was once a human," she sighed.

"Yeah," Emily replied quietly, "maybe a miner…"

"Maybe someone who worked in the sanatorium?" the blonde suggested. There were so many questions that had been left unanswered. Who started the curse? How did it start? How long had the curse been upon this mountain? Why had Josh and the twins and Ashley never found out about these monsters?

"There was so much weird shit going on up there that wouldn't even begin to surprise me," the brunette responded with a shudder. Just thinking about the conclusion she'd come to up there disgusted her and made her want to force it from her mind.

"What was going on?" Sam murmured. Emily licked her lips and stopped walking.

"I think… maybe… someone was capturing the Wendigos. They were all tied up in these restraints and kept in cells. I must have let them all out when I blew the place up…"

"Smooth move," the blonde nodded before walking ahead.

After a few minutes, the pair came to a lake of stagnant water. It looked like it was going to be freezing cold but Sam couldn't see another way to get across to the other side and they still hadn't found Ashley which meant that they had to go through the water to the other side in order to look for her. If they didn't find the redhead or the cable car key then they were all screwed. So, the duo dropped into the water and shrieked in unison when it reached up to their midriffs. They kept their arms above water and Sam shivered and followed Emily through the expanse of ice cold water. It was a hell of a lot colder than it looked and it hurt too. She headed left and the brunette followed after her as they got to a ledge. They pulled themselves up and their clothes clung to them as they walked along. They were at a dead end but Sam found something unusual on the floor so she bent down to look at it.

"Hey, that's Beth's handwriting," Emily murmured. Sam's heart dropped into her stomach and she gulped as she started to read. The more she read, the more horrified she felt. The realisation hit her as she read through Beth's diary entries and she jumped up in shock, hands clasped to her mouth. Emily seemed to understand too after reading it over her shoulder and she pulled the blonde into a hug.

"She… Beth… s-she dug Hannah up and she… she a-ate-" she started but was cut off by the brunette cupping a hand over her mouth and shaking her head.

"Don't. Please, don't say it," she pleaded in a low tone. Sam nodded helplessly and they both separated before getting back into the water together. They needed to find Ashley now before it was too late. Whilst Hannah and Beth were beyond saving, there was still hope to get the redhead back to civilisation. They just had to find her and bring her with them, that was all.

They took the right branch through the water this time and hauled themselves up onto the ledge. They didn't look back this time as they spotted the entrance to a small cavern and bee-lined for it. Sam felt like she was being watched but said nothing. It was probably the effect of paranoia setting in. The blonde opened the door and screamed in horror when water flooded out and brought the severed head of the flamethrower guy with it.

"Jesus shit!" Emily gasped and they both fled through the door so they wouldn't have to look at it any longer. Unfortunately, upon entering, they were met with the sight of the flamethrower guy's headless body hanging from the ceiling on a meat hook. There were other bodies in here too and the stench was so foul that it made Sam want to throw up but she held it in. She dragged Emily away from the horror and tried to find a way out.

"Sick," she hissed in disgust. The brunette shushed her and made her stop walking, looking through the gaps between the wood of one of the walls separating two caverns. Sam looked with her and her breathing hitched in her throat when she saw Ashley lashing out at thin air and yelling nonsense. She and the brunette both ran in there and over to the redhead.

"Ash! Ashley!" she exclaimed but her friend didn't seem to hear her or notice her. It was horrible to see and it reminded her of how unstable Ashley was but she couldn't walk away this time. She wouldn't let herself walk away.

***

"Ashley!"

Ashley blinked as a stinging pain shot through her cheek. She realised then that she had been slapped in the face and her hallucinations had faded.

"Em?" she murmured in questioning when she saw Emily and Sam in front of her. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she tried to remember where she was and what was going on but she couldn't. She had no idea what was going on or where the hell she even was. The last thing she remembered was being tied up in the shed and hearing that screeching sound before everything had gone black. Her memories after then were fuzzy and unreachable. Unattainable.

"Ash! Hey, hun," the brunette smiled but Ashley knew it was fake. She wasn't really happy to see her.

"Don't h-hit me, p-please," she mumbled.

"You were deep in it. Full mental jacket. Look, we need to get out of here, okay?" Emily responded. Sam put an arm around the redhead and she felt a sense of security and protection from the small gesture. Sam was going to protect her and keep her safe. She was going to be alright.

"Okay… do you have the key for the cable car?" the blonde enquired. Ashley's brows knit together further and she rooted around in her pockets before handing the key over to her friend, much to the girls' approval.

"Thank you," Emily spoke graciously. Sam seemed to hesitate before speaking up again.

"Listen, Ash… Beth and Hannah… they were up here for weeks? Months? Hannah died but Beth was… she was starving up here and she-"

"Don't you dare say it, Samantha. I mean it," the brunette cut in harshly. Sam nodded sadly but Ashley didn't need her to continue speaking. She knew what she was going to say. Beth had eaten Hannah in order to try and live. Whether she was alive or not still was a mystery but at least she knew now that Hannah had found peace. Sam told the brunette and the redhead that she was going to climb back up to the surface then told Emily to take Ash back the way they came as the latter was in no state to climb any rock faces. She watched as the blonde started to climb but soon turned away to follow Emily out of the cavern.

When they got to the lake, Ashley didn't hesitate to get in. She trusted Emily completely now that she was confident she wasn't trying to kill her. Hannah and Beth's voice kept whispering in her ear to drown her but she refused. They were bound to punish her for it but she wasn't going to give in to their demands anymore. They couldn't control her anymore. She tried not to shudder or cry out when she felt the water rippling around her and looked around as she went. She was terrified of these waters but she had to keep following Emily. She had to keep going.

"Oh… fuck, no!" the brunette screamed before she was pulled under the surface. Ashley panicked and tried to swim forwards but was stopped by the monster from her hallucinations rising out of the water.

"No! No, you're not real!" she screamed. She noticed the watch on the wrist of the monster and gasped in realisation. This… thing. It was supposed to be… "BETH! NO, BETH!"

The monster cocked its head in recognition and grabbed her forearm before dragging her through the water back to the cavern. She tried to fight against it but it was no good. There was no getting away from this twisted, grotesque version of her sister-like friend. For the past year she'd thought that Beth was dead and she'd begged and pleaded in her dreams and nightmares to see her just one last time.

Despite how twisted this was, it looked like she was finally getting her wish.


	21. 20. Resolution - Part 2

Jess carefully climbed down the rock wall and jumped to the ground when she was close enough to it. She was out of breath with aching fingers but that was okay. She just had to try and find a way out and then she could go and get help for the others. She considered herself damn lucky that the maniac hadn't gotten to her yet but it was very likely that he didn't even know about the mines in the first place so maybe it was a good thing that she was hiding in here. No, what was she thinking? She needed to get out of here as quickly as possible and wait for help to come so that they could capture the bastard.

Glancing around, the blonde found a lamp on a table and lit it with the lighter that was nearby. The light blinded her slightly but the fogginess of the glass helped to dim it slightly so that it wouldn't hurt her eyes. She carried it by the handle and turned around just in time to see someone swinging a shovel at her. Surprised, she jumped out of the way just in time to see the person holding it drop it and stumble. The scream that came from their lips made her realise who it was.

"Oh my god, Matt? Is that you?" she asked, frantic with relief that it was somebody she knew but also confused that he was even down here. Wasn't he supposed to be with Emily in the cabin?

"I… I-I…" he stammered weakly. He was covered in deep cuts all over his face and his torso and blood had dried up on him. Jess couldn't help but feel the need to protect him like a mother hen. She'd never really been the best of friends with Matt but she wanted to protect him from the world right there and then.

"What the hell happened? How are you still alive?" she questioned as she steadied him. His eyes darted from place to place as if he was trying to identify where he was but couldn't see despite the light. His lip was trembling and he was quaking where he stood.

"Yeah… I… Emily and I were messing around and… and… then it was… we…" the linebacker stuttered, voice wheezing, as he trailed off.

"What..?" the blonde enquired. She needed to know what had happened in case the maniac had gotten to him or Emily or any of the others. What if he had attacked them and was looking for Matt to try and finish him off?

"I don't - I don't know… I was by the window and there was all this glass and… it was in the snow and then… it was… moving so fucking fast and then I was, I was down here… it hurts so much, Jess," he whimpered through his explanation. The utter pain and agony in his voice tugged at her heartstrings and she tenderly gave him a hug.

"Can you move?" Jess asked him. They broke the hug and he hesitated before nodding.

"Yeah, I think… I think so," he answered. The blonde nodded and put an arm around him to help guide him as she tried to find a way out. The monstrous shrieking kept the duo alert (well, as alert as they could be) as they ventured cautiously towards a broken elevator in which the roof had collapsed. It looked like someone had forced it down but she couldn't think of someone who would do that other than the maniac.

"Look at that. Some sort of cave-in here," she commented. Matt groaned from beside her and she glanced up at him with a concerned frown.

"That was me. I… fell through that roof," the linebacker informed her. A grimace was set in his features and Jess couldn't help but feel sympathy towards him. He'd been through so much shit tonight and he didn't even deserve it.

"You fell this far? Jesus. I guess that makes two of us. Mike and I fell down here in a fire tower," she told him. They'd both been through a lot tonight and it felt almost unreal, like it was made up. Unfortunately, though, all of this was real.

Continuing through the mines, Jess led Matt through a tunnel and up towards where it looked like it was getting brighter. They passed through fence-like gates and wooden walls that concealed small spaces. A screech tore through the atmosphere like a chainsaw through butter and they both cried out in fear. Adrenalin pumped through Jess' veins as she looked around for a place to hide and found a way into one of the concealed spaces.

"Quick, hide in here!" she hissed and pulled him into the tight space. They both leaned against the wooden wall and stood stock still as they listened to scuttles and screams that belonged to something inhuman. The blonde held Matt in place so that he wouldn't collapse onto the ground and they held their breaths until whatever it was scurried away from there. Jess let out a sigh of relief and helped her friend back out of their hiding place. She dragged him towards where they could break through and slammed all of her weight against it.

The fragile wood smashed to let the blonde and the linebacker out of the mines. The pair of them hid away from the hole and watched in terror as the hideous grey creature leapt out and looked around. Paralysed by fear, neither of them moved and they both exhaled in relief when it ducked back inside. The sky was slowly becoming brighter and it was then that Jess remembered that Mike had been told over the radio that help would come at dawn.

They'd made it.

***

Sam grunted as she pulled herself up onto the ledge and looked up. There was just one more ledge to go and then she'd be able to make the trek back down to the lodge. She jumped up and put her feet into the correct footholds as she climbed until she finally reached the top. Once up, she started to walk as fast as she could down the mountain. Screeches and shrieks in the distance freaked her out slightly as she walked and the cold was getting to her more than before now that her clothes were wet and sticking to her. She was definitely going to get hypothermia at this rate and she needed serious medical attention but what was she supposed to do? Drop everything and go down to the bottom so she could go to hospital? No. She wasn't a coward. Emily and Ashley were going to be waiting for her at the lodge and they were expecting her to be there to help them. That meant she needed to get to them and not think about herself.

"Are you kidding me? Really?" she huffed in annoyance when she found that she had to wade through another lake. Oh yes, she was definitely getting hypothermia from all of this. She slid into the water and shuddered against the icy cold as she tried to walk. It was a slow process but she finally managed to get to the other side without being attacked by any Wendigos or wild animals. She carried on going and the shrieking began to grow louder as she went. Her heart was pounding and her head was hurting as well as her legs becoming numb.

Groaning, Sam saw that she had to slide down a slope to continue going. She sat down and shuffled forwards before tumbling down the steep slope, falling face first in the snow. She coughed and spluttered as she got to her feet and brushed herself off but really there was no point in doing that. It was all sticking to her anyway so she stopped trying to clean herself up and stumbled along with a vague idea of where she was going. She passed a shed after a few minutes and a screech from very close by shocked her into turning around. She started to panic and licked her lips in fear. Only one thought crossed her mind.

Run.

She set off at a jog but sped up until she was running as fast as she could. She ducked under a branch and jumped over logs and barrels until she finally reached the lodge. She sprinted up the steps and started to bang her fists on the door in a frenzy. She couldn't see anybody inside and her heart began to sink. She couldn't die here. Not now, not when she was so close to getting everyone to safety.

"HEY! HEY!! COME ON OPEN UP!!!! GUYS COME ON ARE YOU IN THERE?! PLEASE, LET ME IN!" she yelled, pleading with every word. She was so terrified of getting caught and she could hear it getting closer. Could hear it approaching her. Any minute now it was going to tear out her throat and-

"Sam."

The blonde spun around and held a hand against her chest. "Oh gosh you look terrible, Em," she gasped. Emily gestured towards the door and Sam tried not to stare at how much paler and withdrawn the brunette seemed to be now.

"Gonna look worse if we stay out here…" Emily joked dryly. The blonde nodded and looked around before picking up a rock and using it to break the window of the door. She dipped her hand through the hole and reached for the handle before opening the door and entering hastily. The brunette followed, hot on her heels, then locked the door. Sam looked around and suddenly realised that Ashley wasn't with her. She was about to question it but stopped herself. If Ashley wasn't here then that meant the Wendigo had gotten to her. She had to force that to the back of her mind, though. For now, it was vital she make sure everyone else in the lodge was alive and got to safety before they could get eaten. She flicked the light on but the brunette flicked it back off again, commenting that it was a bad idea to have the lights on. Sam agreed with her on that so they just headed towards the basement in the darkness. It was brighter than before which gave the blonde hope that it would be sunrise soon.

"How do you rate our chances of survival?" she questioned as they entered the cinema room. Emily's expression seemed hopeless and forlorn as they approached the door to the basement.

"Trying not to think about it," the brunette murmured quietly. The blonde nodded in understanding and was about to speak up when Chris, Josh and Mike sprinted out of the door and past them back the way the girls had come.

"FUCKING RUN! GO!" Mike yelled and the reason soon became apparent. A bunch of Wendigos were leaping towards them. Emily and Sam both followed the others up the stairs and the latter forced herself not to think of whether this was what Ashley had seen before she'd died or not. She listened to the monsters coming up the stairs and entered the living area to find everyone was frozen still. She instinctively stopped and looked up to see a tall and spindly Wendigo hanging from one of the ceiling ornamentations. It looked around, searching for its next victim, and Sam licked her lips. Even from afar she could see the distinctive watch on its wrist and gulped. The Wendigo hanging from the ceiling was her best friend. If she was going to die tonight then it only seemed fitting that it be at the hands of the friend she couldn't save last year.

"Don't… move…" Emily whispered from close by without moving an inch. "Don't fucking move a muscle…"

Sam stared up at her former best friend with wide eyes. She was glad the theory about not moving was actually correct because she was scared stiff right about then. Two more Wendigo entered the room and Beth dropped down to the ground. She towered over both of the creatures that had barrelled into there and she had no problem taking one of them out by ripping its head off and throwing the body away. It was brutal and Beth was merciless but it did the job. The hissing of gas pipes alerted Sam and she noticed that Emily was looking around and formulating a plan. The blonde looked at each place the brunette was looking and realised the plan immediately. Break the bulb, switch on the light, boom; lodge goes up in flames and burns the Wendigos to death. She nodded for Emily to show that she agreed with the plan and then turned her attention to the battle Beth was having with the other Wendigo. She smashed it into the ground and tore the head off that one too before tossing the two parts aside as if they were toys she'd gotten tired of. Sam moved a little and made a floorboard creak in order to catch her former best friend's attention.Beth turned fiercely with a loud screech and, out of the corner of her eye, Sam saw Chris push Josh out of the lodge. One down, three more to go. She didn't count herself amongst those three in case she needed to sacrifice herself as a distraction for everyone else to escape. Beth stalked towards her and tilted her head curiously. The sound of the bulb breaking caught her attention and Chris ran out. Two down…

"Hey!" she yelled. Beth spun round again and stepped closer to her as she sniffed the air. Mike was the next one to leave which meant that she and Emily were the last ones left in the lodge. It was now or never for them. Her former best friend hissed when a third Wendigo tore into the room madly. She leapt for it and Sam hid behind one of the wooden pillars. She listened to Beth hissing and felt her breath on her face as her eyes closed. The blonde stayed as silent as she could and waited until the Wendigo was gone before running for the switch when Emily yelled at her to do so. She sprinted as fast as she could, arms pumping and legs aching. The two Wendigos behind her chased after her and she flicked the switch just as she ran out of the doorway.

The impact of the explosion sent Sam and Emily flying, much like it had not so long ago. The blonde landed in the freezing white snow but felt warmth hit the back of her neck. Excited, she sat up and watched as the sun began to rise. Two see through orange shapes flew from the lodge but she didn't care at that moment that two Wendigo spirits had just been released into the mountains once more. She'd managed to save Josh, Chris, Emily and Mike. The sound of snow crunching behind her made her stand up and she whirled round to see Jess and Matt limping towards them.

"M-Matt?" Emily whispered in disbelief. The linebacker blinked in confusion as he looked around then wrapped his arms around Emily when she lunged at him. The two of them sobbed against each other as they embraced and Mike ran towards Jess. They kissed fiercely as they held each other and the sound of helicopters approaching was music to Sam's ears. However, despite the fact that Matt and Jess had returned, she still felt sad. They may have survived but not everyone was going to get their happy ending.

She'd failed to bring Ashley home.


	22. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are done! Here's the final chapter, guys :) I'll start working on a one-shot to go with this series today and hopefully get it posted within the next couple of days. For now, enjoy!

Josh: The old man… I er… I don't know how to describe him I mean-

Interviewer: You said you thought he was stalking you at first. Did anyone else in your group think that?

Josh: Well, yeah-

Interviewer: Is it possible that they could have killed him?

Josh: What? No, no you don't understand. Dont you underst-

Interviewer: If he attacked you-

Josh: He saved my life. I watched him die. Trust me, it wasn't any of the others.

***

Chris: I heard Matt… down in the mines… I don't know how he got down there but I swear I heard him for a moment.

Interviewer: Why were you down in the mines, Christopher?

Chris: I… we were looking for Emily. She was in danger.

Interviewer: Why didn't you help Matt if you were going down there to look for people?

Chris: I didn't know if it was him for sure at the time. I'm positive now that it was him.

***

Mike: She held it right up to my face… she could have shot me if she had the chance but she didn't. I don't know if I'd have been able to hold back if I'd been in her position. We were all so stressed and upset and panicked up there.

Interviewer: Why did Emily want to shoot you?

Mike: It… it's complicated. You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

***

Jess: Mike made me jump onto the ledge while he hung off the fire tower. I tried to tell him not to stay. I tried to make him jump so that he'd be safe with me but he kept holding onto the railing and then he just…

Interviewer: He just what?

Jess: He just… dropped… I thought he was dead…

***

Interviewer: How did you end up in the mines?

Matt: I was… carried and… taken… and…

Interviewer: What did you see?

Matt: I don't know… I don't know. I don't remember much…

***

Emily: She was out of her fucking mind.

Interviewer: Ashley?

Emily: Yeah. She wanted to hurt us after what happened to Josh's sisters last year. She… and… I thought she was the one who attacked Matt. I got so mad and I wasn't thinking straight. It's hard to think clearly when you think you've watched your boyfriend die right in front of you when you could have saved him.

***

Sam: I thought we were close… after Hannah and Beth disappeared she'd come and talk to me… she said that Josh and I were the only ones who understood her. I thought… I thought we had a connection.

Interviewer: If you need someone to talk to…

Sam: I'm fine.

Interviewer: Sometimes… after a traumatic experience-

Sam: I said I'm fine.

***

Mike: Where's Jess? Is she okay? Are they done looking at her? I've been worried sick about her ever since I made her jump to safety without me. I almost died and god knows what could have happened to her down in the mines.

Interviewer: They should be done soon. Will you be looking after her while she recuperates?

Mike: Yeah. Yeah, I should be. I just… I really want to see her and make sure that she's alright.

***

Interviewer: Your friend, Chris, he told us he heard you.

Matt: No…

Interviewer: He said he heard you calling out.

Matt: Nope. Not me. Is… Emily…

Interviewer: What do you remember?

Matt: She came for me. She did! She c-came back for me!

Interviewer: She came for you?

Matt: Where is she? I want to see her. Where's Emily?

Interviewer: She should be waiting outside for you so she can take you home and look after you while you recover.

Matt: I want to see her.

Interviewer: I don't-

Matt: I want to see her.

***

Sam: You need to listen to me. I don't care if you believe me or not. Doesn't matter. Because you will. You need to go down to the mines.

Interviewer: What's in the mines, Sam?

Sam: I've seen what's down there… and I'd give anything to unsee it.

***

"Hey! Hey, I think we found a survivor!"

The redhead blinked and looked around frantically. Was it another hallucination or was it real? No, of course it was a hallucination. She'd given up hope of being rescued over a week ago now when she'd been taken away by Beth. Her best friend hadn't come back since she left. Even in monster form, Beth knew that she was worthless. Who didn't think that Ashley was worthless? She'd treated her friends like shit and now they'd abandoned her.

"Hello? Can you hear us?" that voice called again. She blinked when a bright light was shone into the cavern, her eyes trying to adjust after living in darkness for so long.

"Not real…" she murmured as the people-shaped shadows came closer. She curled in on herself and waited for the end to come. Better to accept fate and embrace it than to fight it.

"It's okay. We're not going to hurt you," the voice cooed. She closed her eyes and whimpered.

"I'm so sorry, Sam…"


End file.
